The Road of Life
by FanWriterGirl994
Summary: This is the story of what happens between the end of ATLA and when Korra was nearly kidnapped by the Red Lotus as a child, it's a long journey of twists and turns, it's the road of life.
1. Chapter1 Homecoming

**Homecoming**

 **3 years after the war**

"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what." - Unknown

Three years had passed since the battle with Ozai. After the war, Aang and his friends had continued to travel the world, trying to solidify the peace Ozai's defeat and Zuko's rise to power had created. It hadn't come without its issues, the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom had been a massive headache on their own. The dilemma about whether to separate their populations according to their respective homelands or allow them to continue living together as a single community, had almost thrust the world back into war. Gradually though, it had become clear to Aang, Zuko, and the Earth King that the older colonies at least, had been together too long for separation to work and instead a new, fifth nation, where people from all over the world could live together in peace, had risen from the ashes of Fire Nation conquest.

Now that things were finally stable, he, Katara, and Sokka were finally headed home to the South Pole. They'd set off from Whale Tail Island just after sunrise that morning. It was a bright and beautiful winter day, the sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the ocean was calm and clear.

They couldn't wait to see how the tribe had changed in three and a half years of rebuilding. Even Appa was flying faster than he was being asked to, as if the sky bison could sense the excitement of his passengers.

"We should be there by this afternoon guys… looks like even Appa can't wait to get there…" Aang observed joyfully.

"It'll be great to see Dad and GranGran again…" Katara said happily.

"It'll be even better to finally taste GranGran's cooking again…maybe she'll make roasted arctic hen tonight!" Sokka wondered.

"You guys go ahead and enjoy that… I'll stick with seaweed and all the delicious things you can make out of it…" Aang replied.

Katara and Sokka exchanged a knowing look. They had a surprise for Aang for when they got home. They'd used Hawkie to send secret messages back and forth preparing for it while still managing to keep Aang in the dark.

Finally, a town surrounded by glaciers came into view. The tiny, hollowed out blocks of ice had been replaced by larger, curved huts made of a combination of wood and ice, the defensive wall around the town was a lot higher and more impressive than it had been when they'd left a few years earlier.

"Wow…look how much has been rebuilt already…" Aang exclaimed.

"This is great except… how are we gonna recognize our own house…?" Sokka wondered. "Chances are the igloo we grew up in has been replaced by one of those things but…which one?"

"I'm sure we'll find it…" Aang replied confidently as he brought Appa down to land.

By the time they were actually on the ground, the whole village, which was larger now with the editions of the Northerners who had joined them, had gathered in the village center to greet them. Standing in the front of the welcoming party, were Kanna and Chief Hakoada, Katara and Sokka's father and grandmother. Katara and Sokka slid down from Appa and ran over to hug them, they hadn't seen either of them in over three years. Aang smiled, his girlfriend and his best friend were finally home and reunited with their family.

Aang loved seeing them smiling and laughing like that, but the scene also made him even more unsure of his own future. _Where would he go? Where would he live? Where was his home now? Did he even have one?_ So many questions like these had plagued the young avatar's mind ever since they'd left Ba Sing Se to make this trip. Even though things had changed, without having returned here until now he couldn't be sure how much more than the architecture was truly different. The last time he'd been here, Katara and Sokka's grandmother hadn't been his biggest fan. How long would it be before he overstayed his welcome this time? Aang looked up and saw that the family reunion hug-fest was still in full swing. He didn't want to intrude, so he just stood near Appa and waited for this long overdue family hug session to finish up.

When it seemed like they had finally gotten it out of their systems, he approached, probably a bit more tentatively than he needed to. After all, despite the fact that Chief Hakoada had never been anything but kind to him, Aang still felt a little intimidated by him. After all, he was the one who decided whether or not Aang could stay in the Southern Water Tribe and for how long, and more importantly had the power to ruin Aang's plans for the not too distant future and long with those plans, his hopes and dreams for the rest of his life.

Nonetheless, he and Hakoada grabbed each other's arms in a sign of friendship. It was then that Aang noticed that Kanna was eyeing him with an uncharacteristically large, friendly smile on her time weathered face.

"Hello, it's good to see you again Ma'am…" Aang told her politely.

"Mother, perhaps we should show them the new house and let them unpack…" Hakoada suggested.

"Sounds good, it's good to be home!" Sokka agreed happily, turning to follow his dad and grandmother.

The three friends were led to one of the larger of the new houses, which was located on the east side of the village. Blocks of ice formed its foundation of either side, covered by animal hides that were pinned to the ground by metal hooks. Actually, hides seemed to insulate the entire outside of the house, except for the curtained opening that acted at the front door.

When they followed the adults inside, the three friends noticed that it was considerably warmer inside the house. The main living space had a fire pit, hides covered the inside of the walls too, and a wooden ceiling cut halfway up the height of the actual building. Near the door there was a latter that went up to a second floor. The whole thing was like a warm little oasis in the midst of the frozen wasteland, warm, cozy, the kind of homes the southern tribe had known prior to the Fire Nation raids. They all loved seeing the tribe growing stronger again.

Aang heard Katara whisper a question to her dad but couldn't quite make out what she said, or what Chief Hakoada replied, the most he could tell was that Hakoada nodded in the affirmative as he gave his answer and this seemed to make Katara happy.

 _I wonder what that's about…_ Aang wondered.

"Why don't you kids unpack and put your things at the top of the stairs… I should get supper started… we're having arctic hen and seaweed noodles tonight…" Kanna told them.

"Yay!" they all exclaimed together. Katara and Sokka's mouths watered at the thought of tender, juicy, succulent roasted arctic hen, and Aang couldn't wait for a delicious bowl of hot seaweed noodles.

Kanna smiled.

Hours later, it was dark out and the family was almost done eating. The kids were laughing and regaling the adults with stories from their travels.

"So then after Aang saved them from the Rhinos they declared a new Avatar Day… but to commemorate the fact that they almost boiled him in oil they stopped frying their festival food… instead they served un-fried dough…" Katara explained.

"It worked out in the end but in hindsight we probably should have kept flying…" Aang added.

"No kidding… the mayor of that place was nuts. That was by far the worst town we ever went to…" Sokka agreed.

"More noodles anyone?" Kanna asked.

"No thanks GranGran… we're kinda stuffed." Katara answered.

"Yeah, it was really tasty but I couldn't eat another bite…" Aang agreed.

"I surrender…." Sokka replied.

"Then I suppose it's surprise time…" She told them. "Katara, Sokka, what we discussed is ready now… it's waiting for you kids upstairs… go now…" She told them.

"What's going on?" Aang asked.

"you'll see…" Sokka told him as he and Katara stood up.

"Come on Aang…" Katara beckoned.

"Ok… where are we going?" he asked.

"Upstairs… we've got a surprise for you…" Sokka answered.

"I gather that much, but what is it?" Aang asked as they climbed the latter to the second floor.

"If we told you that it wouldn't be a surprise would it Sweetie…?" Katara replied, taking the sash from around Aang's waste and tying it around his head as a blindfold.

"I guess not…and I do like surprises…" Aang replied as he felt Katara take him by the arm and lead him to the left.

It felt like they were moving toward the opposite side of the house. He heard Sokka step forward and then the creek of a wooden door sliding open in front of them. Katara pushed him through the door and followed him inside, Sokka came in behind them.

"Ok, you can take the blindfold off now…" Katara told him.

Aang obeyed and when he opened his eyes he found himself in what looked like a bedroom. There was a thick, fur-covered futon with the top third of it fixed upward at an angle and a beautiful thick, blue quilt with Air Nomad wind spirals covering it in a pattern. There were hooks and shelves, and a low wooden desk with a ceramic jar sitting on top with calligraphy brushes and stone paperweights which had been carved to look like sky bison sticking out of it.

Aang's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped in astonishment. "What _is_ this place?" He asked.

"This, is your room…" Katara explained.

"Welcome home Buddy…"

"I can't believe it… all this is for me?" he asked.

"Yep…" Katara replied.

"Since things are pretty stable-ish, at least for now, and since you're the last Airbender…" Sokka began.

"We talked to Dad and GranGran and we all agree. We're your family now, your home is here…" Katara added.

Aang was beside himself with joy, and a few happy tears escaped from his gray eyes and streamed down his face. "You guys…this is amazing…." He finally replied, prompting Katara to give him a big hug.

Sokka put a hand on his shoulder. "We're glad you like it Buddy…"

"So am I…" came a very familiar voice.

Aang spun round "Kanna…?"

"Call me GranGran…" she corrected.

"Sorry Ma'am…" he apologized, bowing respectfully.

"You'll learn… now give me a hug…" she beckoned, throwing her arms out wide.

He obeyed and the elderly matriarch wrapped him in a warm bear-hug.

"Welcome to the family young Avatar… there may be points in time when you are needed elsewhere, but from now on you once again have a home to return to…"

"You guys are the best…" Aang replied with a smile.


	2. Chapter2 Haunted Part1: Valley of Wind

***Authors Notes* I should make something clear, when I say loosely connected, I mean that these stories will be episodic but connected at the same time, not unlike the various episodes of the show itself. Because of this, each will be pretty much as long as it needs to be, sometimes like this one, when there's a good dividing point I may split it into a two-parter. Without further ado, Enjoy!***

 **Episode 2: Haunted Part 1: The Valley of Wind**

 **3 Months Later**

"I still get nightmares. In fact, I get them so often I should be used to them by now. I'm not. No one ever really gets used to nightmares."

― Mark Z. Danielewski

A few months had passed since Aang had returned with Katara and Sokka to the South Pole. It was hard to tell in the icy landscape of his new home, but spring had once again arrived. It was late, and he was in his room asleep.

 _This had to be a dream… he was back in the Fire Nation, villagers were running past him, screaming as they came by. Aang turned around to see what exactly they were running from and was shocked to see a massive tornado headed straight for him. Based on the sheer amount of debris flying around inside of it, it looked like the tornado had destroyed the whole village in its wake. Off in the distance he could just barely make out what looked like a young girl wearing clothing like that typically worn by young Airbenders. Was it himself? Or one of the many friends he knew to be dead? Whatever the case, there were bigger things to worry about. He tried to stop the tornado but he couldn't bend, he couldn't even move. While there didn't seem to be anything physically stopping him, he was nonetheless frozen where he stood. He was trapped, he couldn't get the villagers to safety and he couldn't stop that thing… it was coming right toward him. He slammed his eyes shut and braced for being thrown who knows how far, once the tornado hit him._

When he opened his eyes again, he was in his room, sitting up in bed with the faintest hints of moonlight coming through the wooden and animal skin walls. It was still dark out and it didn't sound like anyone else in the house was awake.

"So it really was a dream…" Aang whispered to himself, allowing himself to fall back against the bed. "That's the third time this week… and it's always the same… Well, if I can't sleep…since no one else is awake I guess it's a good time to work on Operation Proposal…" he said as he climbed out of bed.

He sat in front of his desk, used the smallest amount of firebending to light the lamp Sokka had given him, and pulled several sheets of parchment out of the drawer. Some of the papers had drawings on them, and some were still blank. Aang had spent the past couple of weeks secretly trying to plan out what design he would carve for the betrothal necklace he would use to propose to Katara, even though he himself, was still several months away from marrying age, well…physically anyway…

Once his birthday had come and gone for the year, he would work up the guts to ask Chief Hakoada for Katara's hand as was the custom. Then he would take her out to Glacier Peak, which he knew Katara considered the most beautiful place in the entire South Pole, beneath the following full moon, and there he would present her with a betrothal necklace and ask her to marry him. That all seemed painfully far away until he realized that he still hadn't decided what to carve into the stone for her necklace… when he thought of the fact that he didn't even have a design yet it felt like he was already late. He wracked his brain but he was too tired to think up any more designs, so he took the worst of the worst and burnt them and stuffed the rest back in the drawer.

 _Well this isn't working…_ Aang thought to himself. _There's no way I'm going to come up with a design that's good enough if I keep only working on it when I'm dead tired._ So he sighed and went back to bed.

The next thing he knew, and seemingly far too soon, Aang was being roused from sleep by the sound of Sokka knocking on the door and calling his name.

"Aang…wake up… it's breakfast time…" Sokka called.

"Huh….morning already…?" Aang mumbled.

"Yep…you might wanna hurry before all the non-fish food is either gone or cold and gross. Also there's a messenger hawk downstairs and the scroll it's here to deliver has your name on it, literally."

"Ok, I'll be down in like five minutes…"

"Ok, I'll save you some seaweed stew and some kale cookies…" Sokka promised as he walked away.

Half an hour later, Aang had finished scarfing down his breakfast and was sitting in his usual place around the fire-pit reading the message they'd received.

"Who's it from?" Katara asked.

"It's from Zuko…he says that there have been a lot of reports lately coming out of the Fire Nation's Northern Provinces, about a spirit attacking people. Apparently the powers this spirit is exhibiting resemble airbending… there have been tornados and blasts of wind that seem to come out of nowhere but are associated with the sounds of flute music and laughter…"

"Are we sure this is a spirit? The descriptions they're getting _do_ sound more like bending than spirit world shenanigans, who knows Aang, you might not be the last Airbender after all." Sokka theorized.

"I suppose it's possible, after all we did find a waterbender living deep in the Fire Nation, but either way we need to check it out. Spirit or Airbender, they both make it my responsibility… you guys coming?"

"I'll start packing…" Katara replied.

"And I'll tell Dad and GranGran we're leaving…" Sokka volunteered.

They arrived in the Fire Nation a week and a half later… rather than stop at the Royal Palace, the three of them headed straight for where all the trouble was coming from. The town the reports were coming from was called Feng Zhi, and it was near one of the Fire Nation's many volcanos on the Northern side of the giant lagoon the Fire Nation surrounded on three sides. The small mountain village only had about five hundred people in it and was nestled in one of best preserved natural areas in the Fire Nation, the forest was healthy and full of life and the river that supplied both it and the town with water was clean and clear.

By the time they arrived, it was already dusk and thick dark clouds and roars of thunder announced the arrival of the spring rains… as they walked toward the village's only inn, they tried to figure out what the source of the town's problems might be.

"I don't get it… there doesn't seem to be any reason for the spirits who live around here to be angry with the town's people…" Aang observed as he looked at the area surrounding the town. The trees were big and lush, there were birds and animals large and small that could be heard and seen from every direction, and the river was rich with fish and turtle ducks.

"Well it certainly beats some of the smog-filled factory towns we've been to, but there must be something or the sprits wouldn't be attacking people…" Sokka replied.

"You're right, there has to be a reason, I just…don't know what it is…" Aang told him.

They still had quite a ways to go when it finally started to rain, and when it rained, it poured… there was no slow and steady drizzle, it came down in sheets as if there'd been a dam in the sky that had suddenly broken. They made a run for the gazeebo they saw in the town square, where they could continue their conversation while they waited for the torrential downpour to let up.

"Well, if we don't think it's an issue with the environment then maybe we need to look at this a different way… why is this place called Feng Zhi?" Katara asked.

"Feng Zhi means Valley of Wind… and that makes sense… other than the Air Temples my people really didn't have a lot of land that actually belonged to us or was Air Nomad territory but there were certain parts of both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom where large numbers of us lived, and this used to be one of those areas…" Aang explained. "That's why I wrote back to Zuko asking him to look into the history of this area since the war began and come find us if he found anything interesting…"

"Hm…I don't know what's going on here, but the fact that these attacks apparently resemble airbending and the fact that there used to be a lot of Airbenders living in this area probably isn't a coincidence…"

"Maybe we should ask the inn keeper, she might have a better idea than we do what goes on around here…" Katara suggested as they made their way down the town's main road.

"Until the weather clears or we hear from Zuko I don't think there's much else we _can_ do…" Aang agreed.

They looked out and saw that it was raining even harder than when they'd originally taken shelter.

"Um guys… something tells me this isn't lightening up anytime soon, I vote we make a run for it… unless you two _want_ to sleep here…?"

Katara and Aang both shook their heads.

"There, that's the inn…" Aang exclaimed, having spotted a large house with a sign out front advertising vacant rooms to travelers. "Let's go…" He said, taking off at top speed.

Katara and Sokka followed as quickly as they could into the shelter of the inn…

For a minute there, none of them could shake the memory of the last time they took shelter with a creepy innkeeper in a town where spirit world shenanigans were being reported.

 _Not Hamma, not Hamma, not Hamma…_ Sokka kept reminding himself in his own head.

 _No bloodbenders, no bloodbenders, Hamma's in jail, it's not a full moon…_ Katara repeated in her mind.

 _Surely even with my luck that can't happen twice…_ Aang told himself.

In actuality, this innkeeper was nothing like the disturbed former war prisoner they'd met on their earlier journey. This one couldn't be a day over fifty for one thing, she had long black hair and kind amber eyes. She wore a long, pink and red silk robe, and greeted them with a welcoming smile. There was nothing about her appearance or behavior that gave off a creepy vibe in the slightest for any of them.

"Hello, my name is Ji… welcome to my inn…" She greeted them.

"Hi Ji, My name is Aang and these are my friends, Katara and Sokka, we need a place to stay for a few days…"

"But of course, we have plenty of room…though I should warn you, the reason I don't have many guests at the moment is because there have been five mysterious tornados around here in the past month…" she admitted. "It seems the spirits are angry with our little valley…"

"We were hoping to ask you about that…do you have any idea who the spirit is that's doing this? Or why?" Sokka asked.

"All I know for sure is that at the very beginning of the war terrible things happened here… this was the only place I know of that the army attacked the homeland, and when it did thousands of innocents were killed until the land itself was soaked in their blood… now that those responsible have lost their hold on this place, the spirits may have decided it was time for retribution… and if so it's just what we deserve…"

"But why would Fire Lord Sozin order an attack on his own land?" Katara wondered out loud.

"It was part of his plan to wipe out the Air Nomads, there used to be so many of them who made their home here that the valley itself is named accordingly…" The innkeeper reminded them. "Oh well, hopefully we'll be safe here tonight, why don't I show you to your rooms?

"Yes please…" They replied together.

Ji came around the counter and led her young guests upstairs.

 _That night, Aang once again found himself trapped inside the same nightmare he'd been having in the South Pole. Only this time, while he was still frozen where he stood, he didn't see any tornados or fleeing villagers. Instead he heard the soft melodic sound of a flute in the distance. He looked around to see if he could find the source of the music and for a minute he saw nothing… then he spotted it, a spirit that looked like a child-sized guru with pointed ears sitting on a cloud and playing a flute. It's eyes were closed and there was a peaceful smile on its face._

 _"_ _That must be the spirit who's causing all the trouble around here…" he observed._

 _That's when he saw what appeared to be several human children floating around the spirit, and one of them looked like the child he'd seen in previous times of having this dream. He could see now that it was a little girl, but he couldn't get a good look at her face to see if it was anyone he recognized from the old days._

 _"_ _Who are you?" he called to the spirit, but it didn't reply or respond at all. "Well, whoever you are, please stop terrorizing this town…"_

 _At his words, the spirit stopped playing and its eyes opened halfway and instead of floating peacefully at its side, the little girl came to stand in front of it with a look of pure hatred on her face and created a tornado and sent it flying._


	3. Chapter 3 Haunted Part 2: The Piper

**Episode 3: Haunted Part 2: The Piper**

"To die is poignantly bitter, but the idea of having to die without having lived is unbearable." –Eric Fromm

When Aang awoke, he found himself back in the inn… and this time he looked up to see Katara staring down at him, a look of concern on her face.

"Are you alright Aang? You were screaming…" She told him.

"I was…? I didn't even notice…I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. Sweetie, it was a nightmare, you have nothing to apologize for. I'm just a little worried about you…for you these dreams are usually just the beginning. How long as this been going on?" she asked.

"A few weeks…" He replied.

"Well do you have any idea what it's about…?" She asked.

"Before we left the South Pole I had no idea what it was about… now I think that whatever or whoever is doing this is trying to tell me something… I keep hearing flute music and getting crashed into by tornados just like the villagers describe, the setting looks just like the forest surrounding this town, which I think means that the nightmare I've been having is about what's going on… I'm just not sure exactly what I'm supposed to get out of it…"

Katara didn't know what to say to that, so she just sat down next to him and hugged him tightly.

"This has something to do with my people Katara, I can feel it… but I just don't know what…" Aang admitted.

"It's gonna be ok, you'll figure it out… I know you will…" Katara replied reassuringly.

Aang smiled, as always… Katara was the voice of reason whenever he doubted himself unnecessarily. They looked into each other's eyes and the couple shared a passionate make-out session. He loved her so much, and knew that she felt the same… but it was so rare they were really alone… and it still felt weird for both of them, to lose themselves in each other's presence this way with the rest of their family at most right outside…

"I love you…" He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too…" she replied softly.

"Ahem…" They heard a voice coming from the doorway and turned to see Sokka standing there.

"Sokka?" Aang asked. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough…" Sokka answered. "Now if you two are done… the storm's over and Zuko's downstairs waiting for us… He says he found an old legend that might help explain what's going on around here…"

Aang and Katara nodded and followed Sokka downstairs to the inn's dining room where they found Zuko sitting at a table for four. He was wearing the same clothes he'd worn while he was helping to end the hundred year war, probably hoping that here, so far outside the capital city it would be enough that no one would realize who he was.

When they were all sitting around the table, Zuko handed Aang a thick, leather-bound book. "There's a spirit said to inhabit this valley called the Tatarimokke. Supposedly it acts as a guardian for the souls of children who die prematurely. It entertains them with its flute until they're ready to accept their deaths and move on to the spirit world; but when a child under its guardianship fails to process whatever happened to them and hangs on to anger and resentment the Tatarimokke feeds on their hatred and manipulates them into attacking the living." He explained. "That book contains every legend that pertains to this thing…"

"Ok, that explains the flute music the villagers have been hearing but it doesn't explain the tornados…"

"Actually it might…"

"How Aang…?" Sokka asked.

"Zuko…were you able to find out what happened around here when the war started?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, and it's not good. It was a massacre… hundreds of Airbenders were killed, and a lot of 'em were kids… kids with a lot to be angry about…"

"So you think that the Tatarimokke got a hold of the soul of one of those children and is making them do all this?" Katara asked.

"One or more…there could be dozens of them…" Aang exclaimed. "Most of the attacks have happened at night, I think we should wait until nightfall and try to identify who exactly these children are… once we know their names, we can find out what exactly happened to them and I can try to free them from the spirit's control." Aang suggested.

"I didn't know this when I asked you guys to come but there's also a legend about a ghost in the woods around here. The stories only go back about a hundred years… until now there's been no evidence of the ghost attacking anyone, but she's been described as a young Airbender girl wearing tattered clothing wandering the forest alone looking for her people. I'm no expert on ghosts and spirits but my guess is that the Tatarimokke got ahold of her and maybe some long lost friends…." Zuko theorized.

"That's the most plausible explanation…do the myths about her specifically give us any hints about who she is? Like, if she lived here? Which Temple her master was at? How old she was?" Aang asked.

"Just that she appears to be around twelve years old and may have been younger than that and she carries a pair of fans like the ones used by the Kyoshi Warriors…" Zuko replied.

"That's a little random… what would an Airbender want with fans from Kyoshi Island…?" Sokka asked.

"She probably used them to amplify her airbending…" Katara suggested.

Aang had heard enough, the addition of the fans had told him all he needed to know. The ghost currently being controlled by the Tatarimokke could only be one person.

"I know who's doing this…" Aang announced.

"Who?" They asked.

"There's only one Airbender I know of who was around my age before the war started who also used fans from Kyoshi to amplify her airbending. Her name is Malu… she lived and trained at the Western Air Temple, she was one of my best friends… she was ten when I ran away which would have made her eleven when the war started." He explained.

"That makes her the same age as the ghost from the legend…and if my great-grandfather's soldiers really did kill her…"

"Then she'd have plenty of anger directed at the Fire Nation for the Tatarimokke to manipulate…" Aang finished with an uncharacteristically bad-tempered edge to his voice.

Aang wasn't sure who he was more angry at. Sozin for killing her and all the rest of their people, himself for not being around to protect her when she'd needed him the most, or the Tatarimokke for using her this way. Aang didn't quite know why, but Malu had always been special to him and not in the way that Katara was… this was different, he'd always instinctually looked out for her, been protective of her… almost… like Sokka was with Katara, like an older brother and a little sister…

…

The group waited until nightfall, when all the sightings reported so far had happened. Zuko had revealed who he was an ordered all the residents to seek shelter on the lowest possible level of their homes and away from any windows. Now the four friends were gathered in the village square, waiting for the Tatarimokke, or the soul it was controlling to show itself.

Finally, they heard it… the sound of a gentle melodic flute playing in the distance. Then there was a rustling at the forest edge just outside the village gate. Just as Aang had suspected, it was Malu who emerged from the tree line. She wasn't exactly see through, but she wasn't quite solid either, and she floated, her feet never touched the ground. It was definitely her, the same small frame, the same variation on the usual Airbender clothing, with a short dress and leggings instead of a shirt and pants, and a hood on her reddish-orange shawl. Her short black hair was still pulled back in the spiky bun she had always worn and as always, much of the front had fallen around her face.

At first, she didn't seem to notice them. She didn't acknowledge their presence at all, she simply made her way to the very center of the village square. There was something off about her amber eyes, they were glazed over as though she were in a trance.

"Tonight's the night… tonight I'll make them all pay for what they did…" she said, apparently to herself.

"Malu!" Aang called out, and for a moment, just a moment… her eyes flashed bright and clear with elated recognition.

"Aang?" She asked. "Is that… you?" she asked, her face softening.

"Yes, it's me…" He told her.

"After all these years…" she said with tears in her eyes. Then, to Aang's dismay, her expression hardened back to rage. "Aang, move. I don't want to hurt you…"

"We don't want to hurt you either Malu, we're here to help, both you and the town, but I need you to stop what you're doing…" He replied.

"I can't. Don't you know what they did? They tried to wipe us out! They almost succeeded… They wanted to kill you…!" She yelled, at this point the elf-like spirit controlling her appeared behind her.

"I know, but the war is over now. The people who actually did those things all died a long time ago, and those who followed in their footsteps have been removed from power…" he explained.

"I was in the record room on the day of the attack… I was sent to hide in there before the fire nation arrived so that they wouldn't find me, but I found something…" She told him.

"What did you find?" Aang asked.

"My own record, the identities of my family… I was always told that my father was an Airbender and that my mom was a Kyoshi warrior, which she was, but she was an Airbender too… my fans were a gift from her… but that's not all… I had a brother. My parents had another child before I was born. They had a son a year and a half older than me…" Malu was crying now, and the Tatarimokke was slowly opening his eyes as her negative emotions flared.

Aang wasn't sure what that meant exactly but he knew it couldn't be good…

"Malu, you have to calm down…"

"Do you know what it said my brother's name was? Aang…we're brother and sister…"

Aang was awestruck at this revelation, but deep down not all that surprised, it explained quite a bit that he hadn't been able to explain before, his protective instinct toward her for one…

"Enough Talking!" Came the Tatarimokke's harsh, bellowing voice. "It is time Malu, make them pay! Make everyone pay!"

"I don't want to!" she screamed with tears streaking down her pale face.

"You foolish girl! You think you have a choice?!" the spirit yelled, up until now his eyes had been opened at most as slits but now they opened full and wide and Malu began running in a circle at top Airbender speed.

"Malu!" Aang yelled, plunging into the budding tornado to intercept her. The wind was overwhelming, but he didn't back down, he didn't let go, or Airbend back at her, knowing that to release the flow would most likely send them both flying.

"You Fool!" the spirit yelled. "Your sister, doesn't belong to you anymore! She's mine now." The spirit told him darkly.

"Malu doesn't belong to anyone, and least of all to you!" He screamed, suddenly entering the Avatar State. It was wild and involuntary, he'd been on the edge of this a few times since mastering the Avatar State, but this was the first time Katara hadn't been able to reach him in time to calm him down.

But instead of going ballistic, he used energybending to reverse the pain and brokenness in Malu which was allowing her to be controlled, releasing her from the Tatarimokke's grip.

The winds died down, Aang came out of the Avatar State and fell out of the sky, Malu sank to her knees a few feet away from where Aang was set to land.

Katara rushed forward and caught him in her arms. He threw his arms around her and wept for a hundred different reasons and at the same time no intelligible reason at all.

"What kind of damage did I do this time?" He asked, furious with himself for losing control like that.

"None at all…" she assured him. "All you did was save her…" she said, nodding toward Malu.

The young ghost rose to her feet and tentatively approached.

"Are you alright…?" she asked.

Aang nodded. "Are you…?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine now thanks to you…Brother…"

"So what happens now?" he asked.

"Now…I think it's time for me to go… I've already lingered in this world for far too long…" Malu admitted.

"I don't want you to go…"

"I won't be far… even if you can't see me anymore, I'll be keeping a close eye on you…" She said with a wink. "I wish we could've known each other as brother and sister when I was alive, but at least now we both know the truth… Goodbye Aang, I'll see you again…just…hopefully not too soon. There's still more for you to do here…a lot more…" She explained.

With that… her form dissolved into hundreds of tiny golden lights which floated into the air and disappeared.

Katara peered at Aang's tear-streaked face as he watched her go, she couldn't fathom what he must be feeling… she tried to imagine what it would feel like if she found out Sokka was her brother and then lost him almost immediately after that, but she couldn't begin to understand, so she just wrapped him in a warm, comforting, affectionate embrace.

 ***Thanks so much to everyone who's read this so far, I really appreciate it and I promise we're just getting started. What did you think of this two-parter?***


	4. Chapter 4 The Funeral

**Episode 4: The Funeral**

 **4 days later**

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love." – Washington Irving

After the incident with the Tatarimokke, Katara and Sokka went with Aang to the Western Air Temple, where they found Malu's bones still inside the temple record room, which was more like a really tall broom closet with shelves lining the walls floor to ceiling except for the door. She was still holding her beloved fans. Aang had gathered up her bones, and brought them to an open part of the temple that was just outside the sanctuary. He set her fans off to the side and used earthbending to create a funeral pyre, which he then covered with a bed of dead branches and grass.

"Aang…are you sure you want to do this?" Katara asked. She'd seen this done once before, they'd made a similar stop at the Southern Air Temple on the way home months earlier, so that Aang could cremate what was left of Monk Gyatso's remains, except for his meditation beads, which Aang had explained would have been passed on to him eventually.

"Yes, there's no one else left to do this for her. She's my little sister, I might not have been there to protect her but I owe her this much…" He said sadly.

Sokka just stood there, leaning against a pillar, he didn't question him. Sokka understood. Aang didn't want to do this and in a perfect world he wouldn't have to, but that wasn't the world they lived in.

Katara started to say something else, but stopped when Sokka shot her a hard look and shook his head.

Aang carefully put Malu's bones on top of the funeral pyre and wrapped what was left of the deadwood, a particularly long, thick branch from a fallen mango tree, with the tattered remains of his sister's clothing. Then he used firebending to light the fabric on fire and stuck it into the rest of the wood and grass in the pyre itself, lighting it on fire.

As the wood, grass, and bones were engulfed in flames, Aang sat down facing the pyre in a lotus position and wept, wishing more than anything that he and Malu could go back to the happy days before all that had happened to tear them apart.

He remembered how they used to play airball, and how they'd play tag and fly kites in the grassy meadow during YangChen's festival, and how they would use fruit pies for target practice. They'd fling them at any elders at either temple who had a sense of humor, and then they'd laugh so hard they'd fall backwards. He remembered the way she'd giggle at his animal impressions and how when she got mad at him she'd poke him in the forehead with her staff, or once in a while his own… and he wished that she had been with him the night he ran away, so that they would both be there now, alive and safe…

Katara hated seeing Aang in such pain and heartache. She instinctually moved to touch the stone on her mother's necklace, unsure of what she could say or do.

Sokka pulled her into another part of the temple where they wouldn't disturb him. The place he picked was another area that was open to the outside, dug out of the Cliffside and help up by giant, rectangular stone pillars, but it was far enough away that there was no chance of Aang hearing them.

"There must be something we can do… this is even worse than when he first found Monk Gyatso's skeleton…" Katara exclaimed sadly.

"We're already doing it Katara… there's nothing else we _can_ do…" Sokka replied.

He was trying to explain, but Katara's instincts and helpful and empathetic nature wouldn't let her understand how just standing there could be doing any good.

"How can you say that? We're just standing around!" she said sharply.

Sokka shut his eyes and sighed heavily. "You don't get it Katara, we can have his back but, what Aang needs is for us to let him do this on his own…"

"You're right…I don't understand…" She replied. "First he lost all of his people, then he lost one specifically who was actually his family… talk about ripping open old wounds… what's so bad about trying to help him?"

"Listen Katara, Malu was Aang's little sister, the thing about being a big brother, is that your first and most basic instinct is to protect your younger siblings. Aang wasn't even here when the Fire Nation showed up, he couldn't protect her because he was still trapped in the iceburg then. Without him around she was murdered by the Fire Nation and then she was tortured and manipulated by a dark spirit for a hundred years…"

"But that wasn't his fault… he couldn't have known what Fire Lord Sozin was planning and besides, if he had stayed he could've been killed along with the rest of the Air Nomads…" Katara reminded him.

"Katara, you and I both know that…and logically Aang knows it too… but that's not gonna help him deal with the guilt of letting his sister down. Feeling like you failed as a big brother is like…like feeling like you failed as a human being… it's like a sky bison who can't fly, or a fish that can't swim… you just feel like a waste of space."

"How does anything you just said translate into 'there's nothing more we can do'?" she asked.

"Simple, Aang might never _really_ stop blaming himself for what happened to her, but if giving her a proper funeral or close to it helps him feel a little less like a horrible brother, then all we can do is be there for him. We can't distract him, and we can't interfere… This is between the two of them, not us…" Sokka explained.

"So what then…we just sit here and do nothing?" she asked.

"No, now we wait… we give him the time and space he needs, and when he needs us, we'll be there to help however _he asks us to_ …"

Katara sighed and smiled apologetically at her brother and gave him a hug. "Alright, I see your point… thanks Sokka, you know… sometimes you're a lot more sensitive than I usually give you credit for…" she told him.

"Come on, let's go back…" he beckoned, leading her back to where Aang was sitting with Malu's body, watching it slowly be reduced to ashes.

They'd only been gone for about twenty minutes, and when they returned, the fire was still going strong. They stood on either side of Aang but kept a respectful distance behind him. The scene was almost unbearably quiet, but every once in a while they would hear a cracking sound as the heat of the flames broke the skeleton into smaller pieces.

A few hours later, Aang put the fire out and used earthbending to make a small, stone urn. He gathered the ashes inside it and motioned for Katara and Sokka to follow as he led the way to the grove of fruit trees.

Katara could see that Aang was trying to keep his composure, but there was no hiding the grief and pain she saw in his gray eyes.

"So what now…?" Sokka asked.

"This…" Aang answered, digging a small hole at the base of the mango tree. He poured the ashes into it, covered the hole with dirt, and carved Malu's name into a small stone tablet he had called out of the rocky landscape and stuck it in the ground just behind the spot where the hole had been.

"Will you guys help me decorate it?" he asked sadly.

They nodded.

Katara helped Aang craft a wreath made of cherry blossoms, and Sokka hung incense holders from the tree branches.

When they were done Aang lit the incense, turned away, and hugged his friends tightly.

"Thanks guys…"

"We're here for you Aang…" Katara told him.

"Yeah, we've got your back…"

"I know that she died a long time ago… and I knew that since I found out what happened to our people but… it just felt like something I had to do…" Aang explained.

"We completely understand…" Katara assured him.

"Let's go home…" Sokka suggested.

"That sounds good…" Aang replied, turning and taking one last look at his sister's final resting place.

Then the three friends started back toward the edge of the cliff where Appa was waiting to take them home.

 ***A short one and not one I'd originally planned on, but after finishing writing yesterday's I thought it was needed. Thanks for reading, please enjoy and let me know what you think***


	5. Chapter 5 The Blizzard

***Looks like this is going to be another two-parter, for 2 reasons. 1 had I left it as one it would have been quite long and I like these to be relatively equal in length, and 2 it had a natural spot for a cliff hanger built in and I decided to use it. Anyway enjoy...***

 **Episode 5: The Blizzard Part 1: Impending Doom**

"He knew that all the hazards and perils were now drawing together to a point: the next day would be a day of doom, the day of final effort or disaster, the last gasp." ― J.R.R. Tolkien

It had been a few weeks since Aang, Katara, and Sokka, had arrived home from the Western Air Temple and even though spring was now well underway, the South Pole had been hit with weather that even there would normally have been more indicative of winter. The snow was still waist-high on the average grown man, and the temperature outside was just as frigid as it was when they'd arrived at the beginning of winter. This had led some of the more experienced hunters and warriors, led by Chief Hakoada to go on an extended hunting expedition in search of meat and oil in case there was even more harsh weather ahead, GranGran had decided to move in with her husband Paku, who had once been Katara and Aang's waterbending master, something she had put off doing until both her son and her grandchildren returned from their travels. This, left the three of them with the house to themselves for the time being.

It was only an hour after sunrise, and Aang was sitting, bare-chested, atop the roof of his new home, meditating. He had done this, beginning at sunrise, for two hours every morning since moving in.

He was pretty sure the whole village thought he was insane when they saw him doing this every morning, but the truth was that he was fine. Airbenders had the ability to keep themselves from freezing in temperatures like this, even without the need of additional clothing. Still, even he had to admit that shirtless was…pushing it… the frigid air stung his skin, and his extremities were starting to feel numb as his blood receded to the core of his body. Perhaps the next day he'd at least keep his shirt on…

When he stopped his meditation an hour later, he realized that the village was strangely quiet, usually everyone was starting to go about their day around this time, but he saw hardly anyone on the snow-covered streets below.

"That's strange…" he said to himself. Then he jumped down and went inside.

He found Katara sitting by the fire pit, using her waterbending to stir a pot of rice porridge.

"Morning Sweetie…" he said in greeting with a big smile on his face.

Katara turned to reply but as soon as she saw him her smile dampened to a look of concern.

"Aang, please tell me you haven't been out there without so much as a shirt for the last two hours…" she begged.

"I would…but I was…" he admitted.

Katara sighed heavily. "You know, that's gonna come back to bite you one of these days…I still don't understand why you won't let me make you a parka, or just use the one that Sokka's grown out of. We wouldn't even have to hunt for the material, there are ways of getting pelts without killing the animals they came from."

"Katara, I know you all think I'm a little crazy; b-but I'm fine, really…" he tried to assure her, but she could see his entire body shaking ever so slightly.

"Oh really, then why are you shivering like that?" she retorted. "Never mind… just go get a shirt on and come have some breakfast… a nice hot bowl of this should warm you up…"

He obeyed and came back a few minutes later and sat beside her.

She handed him a bowl and they both started eating.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you… it's just that the weather's been unusually harsh lately for this time of year, even we wouldn't leave the house like that, not even in the middle of summer, and we're used to it…I know you have a higher tolerance for it than us but you still worry me when you do that…"

"Ok, maybe I'll start meditating in my room for a while… I really was fine, but it _was_ chilly out there…" he admitted.

Katara smiled. "That sounds like a better idea…"

"Say, where's Sokka?" Aang asked.

"He went digging for arctic clams by the edge of the water…he left while you were meditating."

Just as soon as she'd said it, Sokka burst through the front door. He was wearing a dark blue, white trimmed parka similar to his old one. He looked like he'd been running all the way from the shore and there was a look of panic on his face.

"What's wrong Sokka?"

"Guys, we have a serious problem… there's a giant Blizzard headed right for us! It looks it could be enough to bury this place."

"Oh no!" Aang exclaimed.

"How long do we have?" Katara asked.

"It looked like it was a day away at most…" Sokka replied.

"Wait a second… where is everyone…? When I was meditating it was like there was just nobody on the streets at all…they can't _all_ be fishing at the crack of dawn can they?" Aang asked.

"They're probably battening down the hatches, and we should do the same… Aang, go to the greenhouse and get some vegetables, enough for a week or so at least. Katara, you check on the rest of our food supplies. I'll go bring the woodpile inside and let everyone else know that they need to stock up on food and supplies." Sokka ordered.

The group dispended and started making their assigned preparations…

The greenhouse had been another of the post-war editions to the village. Using an idea that Sokka had observed two years previously in the Earth Kingdom, the tribe used it to grow food and herbs that they otherwise wouldn't have access to. The materials had been a gift from Zuko for their help in taking down Ozai and Azula and Toph had visited briefly to shape the metal beams into the kind they needed and fuse them together. Then they inserted glass panels to allow sunlight in and keep heat from escaping. Many of the non-benders of the tribe spent their time tending the plants. Since the greenhouse was meant to supplement the food supply for the entire tribe, it was roughly the size of a dozen houses, and inside it was almost entirely plants except for a small area which was used to store other supplies like gardening tools, sacks for when people came to get food, and fertilizer.

As he approached it, he could see a massive wall of dark gray storm clouds in the distance, heading swiftly in their direction, the wind was picking up too…

 _Something tells me we have less time than Sokka thought…_ Aang thought to himself.

When Aang arrived at the greenhouse, he found Niyok standing near the entrance. Niyok and her sister. Nuha had returned to the tribe from the Earthenfire Refinery a few weeks before Aang, Katara, and Sokka had arrived four months earlier. They first time Aang had met them, it had been at the refinery from afar. They hadn't actually spoken, and hadn't yet apart from Katara introducing them. Aang didn't know why, but it was always…awkward… when Nutha and Niyok were around…

"Hi Niyok…" He said in greeting.

"Hi…Aang….are you here to stock up on food before the storm gets here?"

"Yep…" He replied.

"Sure thing…. I've really got to hand it to you guys… this greenhouse not only increased our food supplies but it gave a lot of us work to do… work that's a lot less dangerous than that old iron mine. It's what allowed us to come back…" She told him as she led him inside.

"It was definitely one of Sokka's better ideas…" Aang agreed.

Niyok immediately set to work packing three large sacks of food and herbs. Unsure of what else to do, Aang followed as she roamed around collecting the various vegetables and herbs, he knew that Niyok and her sister were Katara's friends and he wanted them to be his friends too, he just wasn't sure how to bridge the divide.

"So, busy day around here?" Aang asked.

"Yep… we've been ordered to distribute the necessary supplies and food from the gardens here to each household."

"Who gave the order?" Aang asked.

"Sokka did… as Chief Hakoada's son, Sokka's in charge around here in his absence…" she explained.

"I knew he was during the war…" Aang replied.

"That's pretty much an automatic thing when Chief Hakoada's away… it used to be Bato until the men left during the war and Sokka was literally all we had, now it's at the point where he's not actually the last resort anymore…"

"Well that explains why he's a little uptight today…" Aang observed.

"He always gets like that when he's actually in charge… here's your food and stuff…" she told him, handing him the sacks.

"Thanks, see you around…" he told her before heading home.

He passed by Sokka on the way and saw that something had changed, his friend had a hard and determined yet grim look on his face that told Aang there was something wrong.

"Hey Sokka, what's going on?" Aang asked.

"I told everyone to stay within the village walls but apparently some of the younger kids went penguin sledding anyway… So now I have to go find them and bring them all home again before the storm hits…" He explained.

"Do you want me to do it?" Aang asked.

"Thanks Buddy, but this is my responsibility…"

"Sokka, the tribe is your responsibility right now, a bunch of kids running off with a blizzard headed straight for us… I can take care of that a _lot_ faster than you can…" Aang pointed out.

"Fair point… Ok, go… but be careful and hurry up… I'm gonna have to lock the gates at some point before we have an avalanche on its way to bury us…" Sokka told him.

Aang nodded. "We'll be back soon…" he assured him before handing him the supplies and running off to get Appa.

It was already snowing by the time he flew over the walls. The storm was coming faster than anyone had suspected, and up close it was a lot more massive than it had originally seemed. Aang couldn't see very far into it below the clouds, it was a white out as thick and dense as stone. The temperature had dropped considerably as well, despite his ability to control the temperature of the air around him... Aang was taken aback by how easily the icy winds were ripping right through his defenses, chilling him down to the bone...

When he finally found the children they were sliding down the very same hill he and Katara had gone sledding on the day they met. He didn't want to startle them, so he brought Appa down gently off to the side at the bottom of the hill.

"Hey guys, come over here!" he called, but none of them seemed to be able to hear him. "Guys! I need you all to come over here for a minute…"

"Hey guys…look, it's Aang…." A ten year old boy told his friends.

"Hi Aang, are you here to play with us…?" one of the others asked.

"Not this time Puja… I actually came to bring everybody back to the village. There's a storm coming. Before long it'll be way too dangerous out here…" Aang explained. "Come on, everybody on Appa, I'll get you guys out of here…"

"But…we don't wanna leave yet…"

"Guys, it's not even my decision… Sokka sent me out here to get you guys and he's right… So come on, let's go before the storm gets any closer…" he shouted as the winds suddenly picked up.

 _We'll never get back to town before that thing reaches us at this rate… I have to try to slow it down…_

Knowing what he had to do, Aang used a combination of air and waterbending to throw each of the kids into Appa's saddle, each one voicing his or her surprise and dismay as they flew through the air.

"Appa, get everyone back to town safely…" he told his old friend.

At Aang's command, the sky bison rose into the air and started back in the direction they'd come.

"Now to slow that thing down…" Aang said to himself. The only question was… how to do it?

The storm was quickly becoming an icy typhoon as it moved across the bay, a fact which would make his task a lot more difficult, not to mention dangerous. Finally he decided that the best chance was to form an orb of air around himself and try to use the ocean to cut the funnel in half.

He quickly encased himself in a ball of hair, picked up and melted the snow below him to form a stream of water radiating around the orb and headed straight into the thick of the storm itself…


	6. Chapter 6 Whiteout

**Episode 6: The Blizzard Part 2: Whiteout**

"We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately." – Benjamin Franklin

Sokka was relieved when he saw Appa land with all the kids who had run off in his saddle, but quickly unnerved when he realized that Aang wasn't with them.

"Hey, Asook, where's Aang?" Sokka asked. At twelve, Asook was the oldest of the tribe's younger children and really the ring leader of the group Aang had gone to retrieve. He was just an inch or two below Sokka's shoulder in height and wore the classic warrior's wolf-tail hairstyle.

"He told us to go and said something about trying to slow down the storm before it hits us…" the younger boy answered.

"Alone…?" Sokka asked sharply.

"It's not like we wanted to leave him behind, he didn't give us a choice.

Sokka sighed heavily. "Of course he didn't, don't worry about it Asook, Aang did exactly what I asked him to, which was to get all of you back here safely. You did nothing wrong." He assured the boy, who then ran off toward his house. "I hope you know what you're doing Buddy…" Sokka told Aang though he knew there was no way he could hear him.

Sokka ran toward to the watch tower built into the village wall. He was already at the top before he noticed that Katara was right behind him.

"Where's Aang?" Katara asked, barely audible above the high winds.

"Out there!" Sokka shouted, pointing to where they could see a water-filled funnel cloud above the bay and a spinning orb of air and water. "I think he's trying to destroy the funnel by himself…"

"We have to go help him!" Katara shouted, already headed down the stairs of the watchtower. "That thing's too strong for one person…"

"Katara…." Sokka started to protest but stopped himself. Katara had a hard and dangerous look In her blue eyes, the look of desperation, the same look she'd given him when she'd refused to turn her back on a Fire Nation village she'd been helping without any of their knowledge. He knew the hard look his sister was giving him. If he didn't let her go she would anyway… the only difference that trying to stop her would make would be that she'd be angry with him about it afterward. "Go on foot, I'll have the gate opened for you, stay low to the ground and keep your hood up…please…"

"I'll be careful…" she promised, figuring that it was not the time to remind him that she'd grown up there too and wasn't an idiot.

"Open the gate!" Sokka ordered.

At his command, some of the younger warriors who had been left behind unlocked and pulled open the gate…

The previous day on Whale Tail Island… the Air Acolytes: Xing Ying, Yee-Li, and Jingbo were still where they had split off from Aang, Katara, and Sokka months earlier, having been trapped there by harsh weather problems of their own. On that day however, on the Island and as far as they could see beyond it the sky was bright and clear, so the three friends had decided to go looking for food in a grove of wild fruit trees on the south side of the island.

On the way there, they passed by Mr. Wei, a kindly merchant they'd gotten to know somewhat since arriving almost four months earlier. He seemed to be chatting up one of his regular customers, so they didn't try to interrupt. They were about to continue on their way when they overheard a bit of the conversation.

"Thank the spirits that last storm is gone now…it did some damage but it could've been much worse…" Mr. Wei observed.

"Yeah, it's the Water Tribe's problem now…" his customer replied.

"Isn't the Southern Water Tribe where Katara and Sokka are from?" Xing Ying asked.

"And where Avatar Aang is currently living… yeah, I think so…" Yee-Li

"Well then what are we waiting around for my Acolyte sisters? Let's go! They may need our help!" Jingbo exclaimed.

"Jingbo's right… Yee-Li, find us a boat, Jingbo and I will gather as many emergency supplies as we can find…" Xing Ying replied.

Meanwhile, Aang had tried three times to penetrate the funnel but had failed. He had tried sending icicles flying at it, which had proved to be a very bad idea because the typhoon had just turned them into even smaller and sharper before sending them right back at him, and since they'd been made for the purpose of destabilizing the funnel, they weren't blocked by the ball of air surrounding him. His clothes had been torn and he'd been grazed by more than one. Then he tried to cut the funnel in half with the stream of water. This had failed but fortunately hadn't caused any recoil either. His latest attempt had been essentially the same thing, only this time turning the stream into solid ice. This too had just been thrown back at him but luckily he'd managed to evade it.

There wasn't much time left. As the winds grew more and more brutal they threatened to overpower him and tear his orb apart. Once that happened, Aang felt certain that if he was still in the air when that happened, he would either be blown away or thrust into the ocean. Since all his attempts so far had failed… Aang knew there was only one choice left….

Katara's progress across the tundra toward Aang through the icy winds and heavy snow was painfully slow going. The visibility was getting so bad that she could barely see six feet out from her body in any direction. She was so cold that every muscle she had was tensing up so that it ached to move, but she forced herself to keep moving. She'd known which direction to head when she'd left the village, so as long as she kept going forward she wouldn't get lost. The key was to keep moving and not change direction. As long as she did that, she wouldn't get lost.

Sokka couldn't believe how thick the white out was, he couldn't even see the typhoon anymore, let alone Aang or Katara, but he knew it was still out there from the way the clouds above the bay were churning. Still, he scanned the obscured landscape intently for any sign of his family. It wasn't until he felt a gentle tap on the back of his arm that he realized Asook had joined him on the watch tower.

"Oh…hey kid, what are you doing here?" Sokka asked.

"This is really bad isn't it…?" the younger warrior asked as he looked out and saw what Sokka saw.

"Yeah, yeah it is…"

"Aang's gonna stop that thing you know…" Asook told him.

"I know that…" Sokka replied, but his voice trailed off before he could finish. Whether or not Aang would stop that thing wasn't what he was worried about. He was more worried about just how long this storm would last and whether or not Aang and Katara would make it back safely. It was already too dangerous to go after them. "Say… Asook…?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be inside with your family, and what were you kids doing going penguin-sledding _after_ I told everyone to stay in the village?" he demanded.

"Well, right now, as the next oldest warrior in this tribe I'm just trying to make myself useful… and as for earlier… don't tell me you guys didn't know…"

"Didn't know what?" Sokka asked.

"A lot of the adults who didn't go with the hunting party are sick right now… we were just looking for something to pass the time and our parents wanted us out of their hair…"

"I knew there was something going around… there has been for more than a week…" Sokka reminded him.

"Well it spread…" Asook told him.

 _So that's why the streets were so quiet this morning…_ Sokka realized. "Why wasn't I told about this? Or Katara… she could probably heal everyone…"

Asook shook his head.

"The healers who came from the Northern Tribe already tried… it's not that kind of sickness… it's the kind that spreads when the weather's either unstable or harsher than one would expect this time of year… both of which have been the last few weeks around here…the herbs from the greenhouse are helping, but it'll probably just have to run its course. One good thing about this storm is that the different households will probably be isolated in their homes for a while…so at least the epidemic shouldn't get much worse…"

"I hope you're right…because that's just about the last thing we need right now…"

"Sokka…is there anything you want me to do…?"

"Yeah… go home Asook, go home and take care of your family and on your way there let everyone know that even those who aren't sick yet need to stay in their homes." Sokka ordered.

"Ok…" Asook replied before leaving to carry out his orders.

 _This isn't working… I'll never reach Aang in time to help at this rate…_ Katara thought. Then she got an idea, she used waterbending to dig and ice tunnel that would come out at the shore. Underground, safe from the storm, she could move much faster and took off at a run.

"I'm coming Aang…" she shouted.

Aang knew what he was about to do was dangerous, but he didn't see any other way to ensure the safety of the town. First, he strengthened the orb of air surrounding him as much as he could, making sure that the air current that formed it was spinning in the opposite direction to that of the twister. Then, he charged straight into the center of it. Within seconds it was taking all his strength just to hold his orb together, he'd expected the winds inside the twister to be stronger than the winds outside it, but this was worse than he could have imagined.

 _Gotta hang on…long enough…to destabilize this thing…_ Aang told himself, as he used all his strength to keep the sphere around him intact. Finally, it began to work, at the center, where Aang was, the direction of the winds outside the arb reversed and the cyclone split apart, the bottom half descending into the ocean, and the top half disappearing into the clouds.

Aang was swept up with the top half and unable to hold his position at the center, he was sucked in and spun around several times before being expelled and sent flying. Upon exit, his protective orb dissolved and he was flung, much like a torpedo down into the ocean, too strung out and caught off guard to react.

Katara arrived at the shoreline back above ground just in time to see Aang be flung into the ocean… She watching in horror for a moment, frozen where she stood. Then, she regained a clear mind and immediately made a large, rectangular raft out of ice and started surfing toward him. The water was rough and choppy, and for what seemed an eternity she searched in vain. Then at last, she spotted him, floating unconscious on the waves. She rushed toward him and pulled him on to the raft. She looked him over carefully and found no obvious physical injuries except…

 _He's not breathing!_ She realized. She focused in on him and sensed the water he had accidentally inhaled and coaxed it out of his body. Immediately, he opened his eyes and sprung back to life, gasping and sputtering, coughing out what few drops remained.

Without a word, Katara started back toward the shore. By the time they reached it, Aang was shivering violently and trying to rip his own clothes off. Katara was surprised when she dragged Aang off of the raft, to be greeted by three of the Air Acolytes, each one carrying a heavy-looking pack that appeared to be filled with supplies. Xing Ying, Yee-Li, and Jingbo seemed just as shocked at the sight of them. As usual, the energetic and always helpful Jingbo was the first to spring into action, whipping out a large, thick wool blanket and flinging it around them both almost the instant Katara had Aang's arm over her shoulder.

"Oh my goodness…" Xing Ying exclaimed worriedly.

"What on earth happened?" Yee-Li asked.

"I'll explain later, right now we have to get back to town. We need to get inside and out of this storm as soon as possible. Everyone stay close and follow me." Katara ordered, reopening her ice-tunnel and ducking inside.

The Acolytes followed, and before they knew it, they came back up right in front of the village gate. Katara waved up at Sokka, who was still standing there looking for them, and the gate opened, allowing the five of them to make their way inside.


	7. Chapter 7 Snowed In

**Episode 7: Snowed in**

"It's a waste of time pretending like I'm made of stone, and my big mistake was thinking I could go it alone." – Phil Stacy

As soon as they got back inside, Katara got Aang out of his wet and semi-frozen clothes and wrapped him in layers of dry blankets which had been warmed in a pot over the fire pit. The acolytes watched her every move during this process with a mix of curiosity, and concern, jingbo had even proceeded to take notes on her methods. Then, with Jingbo's help, she carried Aang to his room at laid him gently in his own bed, covering him with yet another blanket. He was so pale that there was an almost blue tinge to his skin and he had yet to stop shivering.

"Will he be alright?" the young acolyte had asked.

"I think so, but we shouldn't leave him alone right now, we'll have to watch him closely…" Katara replied.

Jingbo nodded, eager to do anything he could to help. Katara sat down on the floor, leaning on the wall next to his bed and started repairing the rips in Aang's clothing. She too, was shivering badly.

Jingbo saw this and immediately took off out of the room and down the stairs.

Katara peered up at Aang with a worried look in her eyes. _Oh Aang, why didn't you come back for help before rushing in like that?_ She wondered. When she turned back to her work, she saw that Jingbo had returned with another warm blanket. "Here… you're shivering too…" he offered. Katara smiled and set her sewing off to the side.

"Thanks Jingbo…" she replied gratefully as Jingbo draped it over her. She took it by the ends and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders. "What about you, aren't you cold…? She asked, concerned.

"No, not really… I'm ok… besides, as the most junior Air Acolyte present, if anybody's going to go without it should be me; although it looks like between what we brought and what you guys already had here we have enough…" Jingbo explained. That's when Katara noticed that Jingbo was wearing a hat, a knee-length wool cloak, and mittens…

 _Good, at least someone around here has some common sense…_ She thought bitterly, Aang had gotten himself into this mess, but he'd done it to protect everyone and succeeded. She didn't know whether to be furious with him or proud…or both… all she did know was that he was far from out of the woods and she was scared for him.

"Good…because if what we saw outside is any indication, it looks like we're going to be here for a while…" She replied. "Hey Jingbo, can I ask you a question?" Katara asked.

"Of course…"

"How exactly did you guys get here with the weather like this?"

"There was this Water Tribe guy living on Whale Tail Island who was willing to lend us his boat… I navigated and the girls handled the jib and the mainsail… turns out the boats you guys built are pretty much made to survive these waters, even at their worst…that and Yee-Li's dad is a fisherman so she grew up around boats all her life. We left it tied to some rocks on the shore when we hit land and took off on foot from there. We were almost lost at one point but then we saw Aang in the distance. He was fighting a giant cyclone…and winning!" the young boy recounted excitedly.

"That sounds…dangerous and exciting…" Katara observed.

"It was…"

By what should have been sunrise the next morning, the storm had been directly over the village at its full force for hours. The six friends, Aang, Katara, and Sokka and the three Air Acolytes were safe inside the house while the winds howled outside.

Katara, who had fallen asleep in Aang's room almost immediately after having finished repairing his clothes, awoke to find that he was still asleep, and that Jingbo, who had promised to help keep watch over Aang, had eventually crawled in next to her beneath the blanket and fallen asleep against her arm. She smiled, Jingbo might be serious about his Air Acolyte training, but beneath that he was still just a little boy.

She grabbed his shoulders gently and shifted him so that he was leaning against the wall, then she stood up as quietly as she could and wrapped her section of the blanket around him. Then she moved to check on Aang. He was still unconscious, but something had changed. There was a labored, raspy sound to his breathing, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Katara put the back of her hand to her own forehead, then Aang's, then back to her own. Just as she'd suspected, Aang was running a fever.

"You're burning up…" she whispered.

That's when Jingbo started to stir… "Huh…what's going on?' he asked sleepily. Then he saw what was going on. "Is he ok? Can I do anything?" He asked.

"Yeah… go downstairs and get a washcloth and put some fresh water in this…" she suggested, handing him her water pouch.

"On it!" Jingbo replied eagerly, and again he raced out of the room and down the stairs.

He returned a few minutes later with exactly what Katara had requested. When Jingbo handed her the items, she bent the water into the washcloth, turned it into ice and then back to liquid again, folded the cloth in thirds, and draped it over Aang's burning forehead.

She looked over at Jingbo and saw that he was watching intently with a mix of worry and mystified curiosity.

"It looks like being out in that storm really did a number on him, this should bring his fever down…"

"O-ok…" Jingbo replied nervously.

"He'll be alright…we got him past the hypothermia after all…"

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure… Jingbo, you haven't eaten since you guys got here, go get something to eat… I'm going to go talk to my brother. Aang will be ok on his own for a little while, we just have to let him rest…"

The younger boy nodded and they both headed downstairs.

Katara found Sokka sitting by the fire and staring at a map of the South Pole.

"Hey Sokka…" she said to get his attention as she sat down next to him.

"What? Oh, Katara… it's you…" Sokka began, he peered around and saw that the two other Air Acolytes were deep in a meditation session. "How is he?"

"He's burning up… looks like what happened yesterday really did some damage." Katara told him.

"I'd be shocked if it hadn't… based on the reports I've been getting since yesterday from the rest of the village, he's probably coming down with what everyone else has. I mean, chances are we were all exposed and after yesterday I doubt Aang has much of a defense against that stuff right now…"

"Yeah…"

"Katara, you rescued him, you probably saved his life…" Sokka reminded her.

"I know…" she replied. "Sokka, what are we gonna do?" she asked.

"We wait this out, we take care of Aang…and as soon as it's safe I'll go check on the rest of the tribe…" Sokka answered.

Katara nodded with a semi-optimistic smile and stood up. "I'll go make some tea for when Aang wakes up…"

Aang finally came to about a three hours later to find himself in his room, still wrapped in his blanket cocoon. Katara had checked on him twice since leaving It took a few seconds for his vison to clear and the room to stop moving in and out of focus. "W-What happened...?" he asked hoarsely. His throat was burning and his limbs felt stiff and heavy, it was painful and much more difficult than it should have been but he managed to wriggle out of the blankets so that he could sit up, the blankets falling to his waist and the compress falling from his forehead as he did so. Almost immediately, he started to shiver again and within a minute or two he began sniffling.

"Ugh… Where es everybody…?" he asked himself as he looked around the room. "Dey mus be downstairds…" He told himself when he didn't see anyone. He wrapped two of the blankets around his shoulders and dragged himself out of bed and down to the main floor of the house.

Both Katara and Sokka heard Aang coming before they saw him inching his way down the vertical staircase.

"Aang! You're awake…" Katara exclaimed happily, her smile almost immediately turning into a look of worry when he reached the first floor and she saw just how much he appeared to have worsened in that short time.

"H-how long wuz I out?" Aang asked.

"A little less than a full day… how are you feeling…?" she asked.

"I've b-been better…" he replied. "I don understan dis though… I havn' been sick since I wuz a little kid…since I wuz only five."

"Well there's no denying that you are now, you just admitted you don't feel well and you look and sound terrible…"

"I'mb… n-not…" Aang insisted.

"Aang, think about it… there's been some kind of flu making its way through the village for days… and after yesterday, it'd be a miracle if you weren't sick…and Katara's right….you look awful…"

"Huh… wut about da storm?" he asked.

"Oh that, it's directly over town and is now hitting us with its full force…" Sokka replied, despite Katara giving him a hard look.

"Shudn we be doin someting den…?" Aang asked.

"We already did it, you got everyone back here safely and destroyed the giant water tornado which was the main threat to the village and while you were doing that and Katara was looking for you, and then while you were asleep, your acolyte friends, the junior warriors, and I made absolutely sure that every household as everything they need to hold up inside for as long as we need to…" Sokka assured him.

Then suddenly, Aang doubled over and started coughing. It sounded like it was coming from deep in his chest and Katara didn't like it one bit.

"Aang, you. Bed. Now." Katara ordered firmly.

"But…"

"Now."

He took one look at her eyes and knew she meant business, so he scurried back to his room.

When Katara came to check on him a few minutes later, bringing him some hit tea, she found him laying underneath multiple layers of blankets but not necessarily wrapped in them like before, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey…"

"H-hey…" he replied hoarsely, his voice was barely more than a whisper. "lemme guess… you're mad at me because what I did yesterday was stupid and dangerous…." He guessed.

"Actually I wanted to apologize, I'm sorry I snapped at you downstairs… but Aang…how could you be so reckless? What you were trying to do would've been a lot easier with more than one waterbender. I know you're the Avatar but… sometimes even you need help…" she asked, she was almost in tears. "You really scared me this time…"

"I'mb sorry I s-scared you…" he told her, he was about to explain himself, but was interrupted by another coughing fit, this one even worse-sounding than the last.

By the time it was over, Aang was gasping for air and wheezing loudly. Katara put a hand on his shoulder. "You need to rest…"

"Easier… said… than done…" He told her.

"Maybe this'll help…" she offered, handing him the tea.

He nodded and took a drink. It was warm, and smooth, and sweet, and soothing… his throat stopped burning almost on contact as he swallowed it, though it still felt sore.

"Thanks…what…is that?" he asked curiously.

"Gingerroot tea with some of the medicinal herbs from the greenhouse gardens…" she told him.

"Well it hit the spot…" he whispered exhaustedly.

"I'm glad… though it was Jingbo who came up with the right mix…" she admitted.

"He wants to be an herbalist…he's already pretty good at it if you ask me..." he explained with just a hint of admiration.

He seemed ever so slightly better in some ways, but his breathing was still labored, his fever seemed to be almost as high as it was when she'd first noticed it, and he seemed so tired.

"Get some rest…don't be afraid of asking for our help Aang, that's what family does… I'm here for you. Don't forget that ever again…"

 ***Next Chapter will be some nice Kataang Romance fluff, Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you for your feedback and continued support**


	8. Chapter 8 The Festival

***Sorry this one took so darned long, but I'm in college and today was my Grandma's birthday plus for some reason I just had less confidence than usual in my writing (idk why) so I had this beta-read by two of my friends. They think it's good, i hope they're right. Anyway sorry this was slow, enjoy***

Episode 8: The Festival

2 and a half months later

"You are the air I breathe, you are the song I sing, you are the war that I can't win, this is my white flag in the wind, every word you speak, is the air I breathe." – Mat Kearney

Nearly three months had passed since the storm, it was now the middle of summer once again and Aang had been called to Yu Dao, the former Fire Nation Colony in the Earth Kingdom that now stood independent of both nations because the Rough Rhinos, under orders from the Pro-Ozai Society, had attempted to take it back under Fire Nation control. Katara and Sokka had come to help. Toph had also joined them, since she and her metal bending students did a lot of work with the local police department in Yu Dao.

He, Katara, Sokka, and Toph had successfully stopped Colonel Mongke's assault and Zuko and his guards had shown up personally just the day before to arrest the Colonel and his men and have them all returned home to stand trial for treason against the Fire Nation. They found themselves at the town gate as the rough rhinos were being dragged onto Zuko's royal warship.

"Thanks for this guys, the Mayor of Yu Dao won't have to worry about trouble from these traitors again. When I'm through with them they'll never see the world outside the boiling rock again." Zuko promised.

"Good riddance…" Sokka replied.

"I've wanted to bring these guys in for a while but up until now they haven't done anything that was actually a crime. Looks like they finally got sloppy…" Zuko agreed. "I had better go…"

"See you later Zuko…" Aang called as the ship left Yu Dao's docks.

"So Toph," Sokka began. "Are you headed back to the metalbending academy?"

"Not just yet… I could use a break and I've discovered that sometimes the Lilli livers improve a little faster when I'm not around, when they know if it even looks like they've slacked off when I come back they'll feel my wrath…"

As the group headed back to where they were staying, Aang noticed a poster on a stand outside of a tea shop, it was announcing that Hira's Acting Troop was there in Yu Dao to perform Love Amongst the Dragons. An idea started to form in Aang's head, perhaps it was time for him to put a long overdue plan into motion. He remembered well how much Katara had seemed enthralled by the one scene they'd more or less walked into while searching for Zuko's mother Ursa a couple of years earlier. According to the poster it was part of a festival that was taking place in town the following day to celebrate Yu Dao's independence from both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom.

"What are you thinking Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked, gently tugging his sleeve.

Aang looked up and saw that Katara and Sokka were still within earshot. "I don't know what you're talking about." He answered defensively.

"You're a really terrible liar you know that? I was asking because your heart rate just kicked up a minute ago… which means you're excited about something, what is it?" She asked.

"I've been meaning to ask Katara out on an actual date for the longest time, but every time we have a chance or there's something fun to do life has always ended changing the plans…" He admitted. "It looks like I might finally have a chance…"

"Wait, wait, wait… you're telling me that in almost four whole years together…." Toph began, but Aang cut her off.

"Three years and ten months…."

"Like I said, almost four years… you guys haven't gone out on an actual date, not even once?" She clarified in disbelief.

"Um…no… we were about to several times, but like I said… it's never worked out…"

It was true, as much as they'd both hoped that things would calm down after the war, in most respects it hadn't very much. If anything they'd gone from one large enemy to a barrage of smaller groups, not to mention the destruction and instability that had plagued both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom in the immediate aftermath. The past three years had been anything but calm and even the past ten months had been a roller coaster…. So far, His and Katara's relationship as a couple up to this point had had to find ways to weave into that insanity, stolen moments, mini-dates in Appa's saddle while flying from one place to the next. This, if it worked, would be the first time they'd had a chance to do anything planned and focus solely on each other…

"Well then go for it… we've already taken care of the problems the town was having with those war-mongering idiots… so if you want a chance where no protests, or threats of war, or blizzards, or angry spirits, or bandits, or the likes of those Rhinos will be getting in the way… this is probably it…" Toph encouraged.

Aang nodded and scurried to catch up to Katara and Toph used her Earthbending to bring Sokka back toward her.

"What was that for?" Sokka asked.

Toph pointed to a weapons shop right beside them. "Did you miss this or something? She asked. "Usually you're like a kid in a candy shop for this kind of thing…"

"You're right… I do… Hey, Katara, Aang… we'll catch up with you two later…" Sokka called.

 _Mission accomplished…_ Toph thought as Sokka literally pulled her by the arm into the shop.

Katara couldn't figure out what was up with Aang, ever since he'd run up to walk beside her there was this…energy…about him. She knew there was something he wanted to say or ask, he'd never been a particularly hard person to read but while she knew there was something, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it could be.

"Did you know there's a festival here tomorrow?" Aang tentatively began.

"I think one of the shop keepers might have mentioned it before the rough rhinos showed up…"

"Do you wanna go…with me…? Just the two of us?" He asked.

 _Just the two of us…_ That's when Katara realized what was going on.

Every second seemed to drag like hours while Aang waited for her answer, the longer it took the more nervous he became.

"I'd love to go with you Sweetie…" She replied happily. This was something they had both wanted to do for a long time and the thought of actually being able to do it, of actually being alone with him doing something fun together with no mission to worry about or Sokka commentary to listen to made her heart skip a beat.

Aang grinned broadly. Secretly, he breathed a sigh of relief, they'd been dating for nearly four years but in all his attempts to ask her out on a real date, he'd never really gotten far enough to actually ask her before something ruined his plans, Katara knew of a few of those past attempts but not all of them. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

The next day started out perfectly, for about five minutes anyway. As usual, Aang woke up roughly a half hour before dawn and shaved the top of his head first thing after he woke up. His head was spinning with anticipation and he wasn't paying as much attention as he should have been to what he was doing. He nicked himself in the forehead and soon a tiny stream of blood was dripping down his face.

 _Monkey feathers! I do not have time for this today…_ Aang thought to himself. Luckily the inn they were staying at this time had running water which was drawn in from the pump outside. Hoping not to wake the others up, rather than turn the faucet on, he bent not even a handful of water through the pipes and out so that it was floating right above his hand.

 _Ok, you can do this… you've seen Katara do it a hundred times…you got this…how hard can it really be?_ He thought, trying to calm himself down. Katara was a healer, he had never tried it, but he needed his head to quit bleeding and have the cut not leave a mark, so now seemed like as good a time as any to give it a try. He moved the tiny spinning current up to where he'd cut himself and tried to feel the energy twisting itself up in the wound, trying to close it… when he took his hand away and looked, he saw that he'd succeeded, there was no trace of it left. Aang smiled

Aang had a well thought out plan for that day, which amounted to a few defined stops and playing it by ear in between. He didn't want to add any pressure by planning everything down to the last detail, he just wanted to enjoy himself and have a nice day with the love of his life.

Meanwhile in another room, Katara was toying with what to do with her hair. Should she go for her usual braid and hair loops? Should she do that but leave the back down? Or should she leave it down and have thick pigtails in the front like she had in the Fire Nation? She had recently gotten some new jeweled hair ties that were a pale turquoise blue with the same symbol on them as the one carved into her mother's necklace. Every time she made a decision she almost immediately began to re-think it.

 _Come on Katara, it's Aang… don't psych yourself out… just make a choice and go with it…_ She told herself.

She finally decided to go with the style that was similar to what she had done in the fire nation, but using her new hair ties and without the top knot.

An hour later, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph were standing outside, ready to leave for the festival.

"So while you two lovebirds are on your date at the festival what are we supposed to do?" Sokka asked.

"We'll be at the festival too, but we're gonna leave the happy couple on their own… come on Sokka, let's go find some games I can Earthbend my way to victory at…" Toph suggested, yanking him by the arm in the opposite direction.

Once Aang and Katara were on their own, they started walking toward the festival. The electricity between them made it seem to each that the other was the only other person in the whole world. Neither said anything on the way there, they just held hands and stared into each other's eyes, only paying enough attention to where they were going so as not to get lost or run into things.

Once they got to the festival, they did everything together. They played every festival game they came across (which included Aang winning her several prizes, one of which was a beautiful and ornate water-tribe hair comb), and attempted to watch Love Amongst the Dragons all the way through but ended up making out under a tree.

Katara couldn't believe how wonderful it felt, here they were on a beautiful summer's day, in the cool shade of a willow, in each other's arms, their gazes locked, as they shared a long, passionate kiss while Aang ran his fingers through her long thick brown hair. His touch felt almost as natural as her own. They just…fit… as though each had been made for the other…

"I love you…" he whispered softly in her ear.

"I love you too…" she replied. "Can we just stay like this?"

"I don't see why not…" he replied confidently.

So that's what they did for the next two hours. Eventually this descended into laying in the grass still in each other's arms watching the clouds.

"This is nice…"

"Yeah…"

By then it was already almost dark so at last they forced themselves to come out from under the tree.

"I guess we should head back…" Katara realized sadly.

"Maybe not, I don't see why we can't stay for the fireworks…" Aang proposed. "Still… this isn't much of a vantage point for that…" He commented, searching for a better spot.

Finally they found one, the top of a grassy hill about a hundred yards away.

Aang immediately whipped out his glider. "Get on Katara, we can get over there in a couple of minutes…" Aang beckoned excitedly.

Though she was nervous, Katara climbed on. Once they were in the air she shut her eyes and didn't open again until she felt Aang land on top of the hill.

"This is much better…" He observed.

"Yeah…" Katara agreed. "You can see everything from up here…it's beautiful isn't it?"

"It sure is…" Aang replied.

"Hey, the fireworks are starting…" Katara noticed.

Sure enough, all across the sky in front of them, multicolored streams of sparkling lights were soaring into the sky and exploding into vibrant fireworks of various shapes. There was one, that showed an Earth Kingdom man with his Fire Nation bride… it was like a mirror image of what was to come.

"We really need to do this more often…" Aang commented

"I couldn't agree more…" Katara replied, wrapping her arms around him in an excited embrace. "Best date ever…"


	9. Chapter 9 Antincipation

***Yays! Another Chapter finished. Enjoy and don't forget to leave feedback, I feed on it... hehe...**

 **Episode 9: Anticipation**

5 Months Later

"Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting." ― Khaled Hosseini

A lot had changed in the past five months. The independent city states that had been freed from Fire Nation control but had not returned to the Earth Kingdom had united into a fifth nation, which was to be known as the United Republic. Together, Aang and Zuko had helped transform Yu Dao into its capital, which was now called Republic City. Aang had taken a small, uninhabited island off the city's coast and built a new air temple complex which would now serve as the home base for the Air Acolytes. Well, the island was uninhabited by humans at least, he'd discovered a slightly different breed of sky bison living on the island, which was a lot of the reason he'd selected it for the Air Acolytes. While the United Republic was still trying to figure out the details of what their own system of government was going to be, the fact that the former colonies had united themselves would ensure that they wouldn't be so easily threatened in the future, and this could only be good for maintaining balance and peace in the world.

Now they were back in the South Pole, because of another set of changes which had occurred in the five months since the festival. Suki had been relieved of her duties at the Fire Nation Royal Palace, shortly after accepting a marriage proposal from Sokka. He'd gone to the Fire Nation directly after the festival, betrothal necklace in hand to propose and Suki had accepted without hesitation. The second they told Zuko, he'd told them that he had better be invited to the wedding.

The wedding was now only a few days away, the preparations were in their final stages and the guests who were coming from other parts of the world, Zuko, Mai, King Bumi, Earth King Quei, Chief Arnook, Toph, the metal bending students, the other Kyoshi Warriors, Teo, The Mechanist, Haru and his father, Master Piandao, Iroh, the air acolytes, Pipsqueak, The Duke, Long Shot, and Smellerbee, would be arriving any day now.

After a full day of helping decorate the rooms the ceremony and the feast afterward were going to take place in, Aang, unable to sleep, was pacing around in back of the house trying to figure out when and how to speak to Chief Hakoada about what he was planning to do…and then trying to work up the guts to actually do just that. He'd already made her a betrothal necklace after finally settling on one of the designs he'd come up with and worked on over the past year.

Aang stopped, took out his masterpiece and stared at it for a while. The pendant was made of Ice Jade, a rare gemstone that was only found at the north and south poles buried deep in the permafrost beneath the ice, it had served as the traditional material for Water Tribe betrothal necklaces for thousands of years. He'd been working on the design for months, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that he'd secretly gone to the ice catacombs outside the village, the only place with east access to the buried deposits of ice jade. He cut off a thin slice and carried back with him on his glider and that's when the real work began. He'd carved a wind spiral into the surface and carved it into a circle surrounded on three sides by crescent moons.

"Making you was the easy part…" Aang told the necklace.

"Nice night to pace around in the dark and talk to inanimate objects isn't it?" A familiar voice interrupted.

He spun round to see Sokka standing there holding a lantern.

"Oh…Hi Sokka… how long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Why does everyone ask me that these days?" Sokka asked.

"Um…because you're usually walking in on us and standing in random doorways all sneaky-like…"

"Oh…yeah, yeah that makes sense…"

"So how long have you been there this time?" Aang asked again.

"Long enough to know something's up… What is that anyway?" Sokka asked.

Aang's face turned beet red and he immediately hid the necklace behind his back. "N-nothing…" he lied.

"Really? Because to me…that piece of 'nothing' you were talking to, looked an awful lot like a betrothal necklace…" Sokka replied with a wry smile on his face.

Realizing Sokka had seen it anyway, Aang brought it out from behind his back, he hadn't even considered what Sokka might have to say… he knew Hakoada was the real obstacle but strangely even telling Sokka about his intentions made him nervous. Sokka hadn't been openly hostile to the relationship that had grown between him and Katara, and even the annoying commentary had slowed almost to a stop over the past year, and though when he did poke fun and feign being grossed out Sokka was most likely joking, Aang couldn't shake the fear that even one spec of if might be even half serious. He looked at his friend with a nervous, defensive smile.

"Ok…you're right…it is…" he admitted with a sigh, realizing he'd been caught.

"I knew it! That's for Katara isn't it?" Sokka asked, giving Aang on a knowing look.

"Of course it's for her, who else would I give this to?" Aang asked.

"And you haven't talked to Dad yet have you?" Sokka asked.

"Nope…"

"Well why not?" Sokka asked. "Don't tell me you're scared of him of something?"

"Of course not…usually… but when it comes to this… a little… I mean, asking him if I can marry Katara… that's like… the second most important question I'll ever ask anyone my whole life… and there is a right and a wrong answer…"

Sokka chuckled. "Aang I'm pretty sure you're psyching yourself out for nothing, for the last year or so it's been no secret that you two were headed in that direction… Did you really think we didn't notice? You guys aren't that hard to read…"

"You're right…."

"I know I'm right…."

"So what about you? Ready for three days from now?" Aang asked.

"M-mostly…I mean… there's no question about Suki… but I'm not exactly good at having everybody's eyes on me… we proved that at the invasion…"

"You do know that was four and a half years ago right? So you choked once… you probably won't even see anyone else except for Suki once the wedding actually starts…" Aang assured him.

"I hope so…" Sokka replied.

"Trust me…" Aang replied confidently. "You'll do great…"

"Then you trust me… talk to Dad…and soon…"

"I will…"

The Next Day

By the next afternoon, just about everything that could be prepared beforehand was pretty much ready. Only a few last minute decorations remained. Aang was inside the town hall, which was a giant wooden and animal hide structure that was used for tribal councils and formal ceremonies, in the room which was to house the wedding ceremony itself, hanging blue, white, and pale green, silk streamers from the rafters because he was the one who had the easiest time getting up there, when Hakoada walked in. At first Aang didn't even acknowledge the chief's presence, though he might as well screamed 'I see you' by doing so since that in itself was so unlike him, instead he simply continued to hang the streamers, crawling across the underside of the beams carrying a hammer in his mouth and nails in a small sack around his neck, both of which he used to pin the streamers to the wooden beams so that they draped down from the beams, from one nail across to the next.

"How's it going?" Hakoada asked, looking up at the ceiling as Aang nailed a streamer into place several feet in front of him.

"Almost done…" Aang replied a little too quickly. Since his conversation with Sokka the night before, he'd been looking for an opening, he had yet to find one, and he was pretty sure that when he was hanging upside-down from a rafter hanging decorations wasn't it, but almost as soon as he decided that this was neither the time nor the place he was silently kicking himself for almost missing the opportunity.

 _Who am I kidding? I'm being a fraidy-cat…just get it over with…_ Aang silently yelled at himself. _He's here now, we're alone…go for it!_ He told himself.

 _"_ Hey um…Hakoada…. Can I…talk to you about something?" Aang asked, letting go of the rafters and floating gently down to the floor and standing in front of him.

"Of course Aang, what is it?" he asked.

"Well um…you see Sir, I…uh…" Aang replied, searching for a way to begin.

"Just say it Aang…" Hakoada replied. He had a fairly good idea what this was about already. He'd known for quite some time this was coming.

"Well…You know that Katara and I have been dating for a few years now and… I love her, more than anything… and she loves me… and I've been thinking that it's time for us to start our life together, so… I would be honored, if you would give us your blessing…" Aang explained.

Waiting for Hakoada's answer was absolute agony. Time itself seemed to grind to a halt and seconds seemed to pass like days. This was it, the one question that could set him on a course full speed ahead toward the very future he hoped to have with Katara or at the very least make that future a lot more difficult and complicated.

"You have it…" Hakoada finally replied with a grin.

"Really?" Aang clarified excitedly.

"Of course… I've known this day was coming for a while now, and while it's still a little hard to believe this is happening already for my little girl, I can't imagine anyone better… you two belong together, so I say go for it…"

Aang smiled and bowed respectfully.

"So…got a betrothal necklace yet?" Hakoada asked playfully.

Aang nodded. "But you'll just have to wait and see…" Aang replied, stepping out onto the snowy streets.

He found Sokka waiting outside. "Well…?" he asked expectantly.

"Mission accomplished…"

"See, I told ya…."

 ***The next two chapters will be wedding-tastic!***


	10. Chapter 10 Sokka & Suki's Wedding

***Ok, sorry I know that for me this one is horrendously late, but I actually did a fare amount of research for this one and on top of that I had a couple of exams to study for. I did the best I could and I hope I pulled it off. Whether I nailed it or bombed it, you know how to let me know...***

 **Episode 10: Sokka & Suki's Wedding**

"I want you today, and tomorrow, and next week, and for the rest of our lives." – Unknown

The night before the wedding, Aang, Hakoada, Bato, Zuko, Iroh, Piandao, Iroh, the Mechanist, Teo, Haru, Bumi, Pipsqueak, The Duke, Jingbo, Longshot, Quei, Ho Ton, and The Dark One, all went ice-dodging. It was a race with six teams of three trying to get out to sea, dodging the many ice-burgs in the very area where they'd discovered Aang several years back and then make it back to the harbor by sunrise. The first team to dock back in the harbor would win the race and earn bragging rights…and first dibs (of the guys anyway) on the desert table at the reception… So far Sokka, along with his father and Aang, was in the lead, but Zuko's team wasn't making it easy for them.

Sokka saw that there was a huge glacier dead ahead, and they didn't have long to turn if they hoped to avoid crashing right into it.

"Aang, right sail, Dad give it room. Sokka ordered.

They obeyed and Sokka forced his whole body against the steering lever, causing the boat to hang a hard left and pass along the front of the glacier so closely that they could've reached out and touched it.

"That was close…" Sokka commented.

Aang and Hakoada both gave him a look that seemed to ask why he was pointing out the obvious.

"At least now we've got a relatively straight shot back to the harbor, full speed ahead guys…we're almost there…" He told them, believing their triumph was assured. Unbeknownst to them though, the team led by the young Air Acolyte Jingbo was quickly gaining on them.

"Oh no ya don't, it's not gonna be that easy… Dad, we need more sail… Aang, tighten up on the jib…"

As they did this, the boat started to speed up and they started to pull past the other boat.

They pulled into the dock just before two of the other ships made it back.

"We did it!" Aang exclaimed.

"Well done everybody…" Hakoada added.

"That…was amazing…!" Sokka yelled.

Aang smiled, that had been the whole point of this… to make sure that Sokka actually managed to have some fun that night instead of just psyching himself out about the day ahead.

 _That worked out even better than I thought…_ He thought to himself.

Without even hearing him approach, Aang felt Sokka put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks for doing this Aang, it was a lot of fun… and we won!" Sokka told him happily.

Aang laughed. "Of course we did with you giving the orders." Aang replied.

"Alright everybody… we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, let's go home and try to get some sleep." Hakoada suggested.

The Next Evening

The following day came and went and soon it was almost sunset on the night of the wedding. Sokka had put on his dark blue warrior's uniform and headed over to the village hall. The ceremony was less than two hours away. It was forbidden traditionally for the bride and groom to see each other on the day on the wedding until the beginning of the ceremony itself, so he hadn't seen Suki since the evening before when he'd gone ice dodging with the rest of the men, both those who lived there, and among their international guests. Now, he was in a small room behind the room where the ceremony was to take place and Suki was most likely in a similar room on the other side. There was probably only a thin wooden wall between them and yet he couldn't see or speak to her.

Suddenly he heard someone knock on the door, he slid it open and found Katara standing there in a blue and purple version of the green dress she'd worn at the banquet in Ba Sing Se to celebrate the end of the war four years previously.

"Hey Katara, what's up Sis?" he asked.

"I just can't believe today's the day…" She told him. "Are you ready? Everyone's going to start taking their seats any minute…."

"As I'll ever be… I'm ready for after tonight, for Suki and me to start our life together… but I don't suppose we could skip this part?"

"Um…no… especially not now…" She told him. "I love you…" she told him, giving her brother a hug.

"I love you too… and you know… it'll be your turn soon enough…" she told her.

 _Sooner rather than later since Aang's planning on proposing at the reception…_ he added to himself. Aang had begged him to keep that little detail a secret. It was supposed to be a surprise…sort of, Katara knew it was coming but didn't know when.

"I'd better go find a spot in the front row… see you in there…" Katara told him as she left the room.

"See you later…"

When Sokka saw the room the ceremony was going to be in, he was shocked that what was ordinarily such a plain building was now so…not. There was an indoor waterfall that looked like it had been created with earth and waterbending right in the middle of the back wall, which had probably been Aang's doing. The many wooden beams on the ceiling had blue, white, and green silk streamers draped across them up and down the center isle and across the ceremonial platform itself. On either side of the Isle there were columns of long benches, where already their wedding guests were beginning to gather.

It wasn't long before the sun had fully set and it was time for the ceremony itself to begin.

As the best man, Aang stood in the center of the ceremonial platform, with Sokka standing in front of him and just barely to the right. As he looked out, Sokka saw that the room was packed with many familiar faces, but still packed…

Finally it happened, the ceremonial drums started to beat and the double doors at the other end of the room swung open. In an instant everyone turned, craning for a glimpse of the bride.

Finally, the moment Sokka had been waiting for all day, Suki finally entered the room, guided by one of her fellow Kyoshi warriors, more specifically Ty Lee, who had only joined the group once the war ended.

Suki wore an elegant white kimono lined on the inside with polar leopard fur, with a long fur cape draping down her back like a waterfall and a thin, semi-solid silk veil that obscured her face. Even though it couldn't be seen through the veil, she also wore the betrothal necklace Sokka had carved for her, which was carved with waves across the bottom with an open fan taking up the top half of the pendant, with the folds of the fan spreading out like the rays of the rising sun. Ocean waves and fans were also embroidered into the kimono with silver-silk thread which reflected the light of the torches so that the embroidery glowed like the constellations in the night sky.

Already, Sokka couldn't take his eyes off of her, she was absolutely breathtaking…. She wasn't moving toward them that slowly, yet her approach still seemed to take forever. Each minute dragged on like several.

At last, Suki stepped onto the platform and turned so that she and Sokka were facing each other. Gently, almost tentatively, he lifted her veil and threw it back over her short, reddish brown hair and the drummers stopped drumming.

A hushed silence filled the room with anticipation, the actual wedding ceremony was about to begin.

Aang glanced at Sokka, then Suki, then back again and began to speak…

"Friends, family, we gather here this evening to witness the union of Suki, and Sokka, as they join together in the bonds of matrimony…. We call upon the spirits of the moon and the ocean, to join us in celebrating the bond of love that has grown between two of the best friends I've ever met…."

For Sokka, the rest of the actual ceremony was a complete blur, he spent the rest of it staring lovingly into Suki's big, beautiful blue eyes as though nothing else existed. He was fairly certain that the rest he managed the vows without tripping over his words, but in his own mind he heard nothing and saw nothing else but Suki, until finally he came to his senses when Aang told him to kiss the bride. That much he heard, and before either of them even realized it, Sokka had Suki in a passionate dip kiss, which she then returned in kind. The crowd of family and friends watching them went absolutely wild.

A half hour later, everyone had preceded to the banquet in the next room. There was one long table against the wall with a smorgasbord of both Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom delicacies with emphasis on the happy couple's favorites. Except for the family, meaning Sokka, Suki, Katara, Hakoada, GranGran, Paku, and Aang, who were at a longer rectangular table by themselves, the guests were arranged at round tables surrounding the dance floor based on where they'd come from.

Once everyone had found their tables, Hakoada stood up.

"Alright… before we get started on the feast… a few members of the wedding party and myself would like to say a few things… and I seem to be up first… so here it goes… a toast, to the happy couple…" Hakoada paused and everyone raised their glasses. "Sokka… it's hard to believe that this day has come… I look back and I still remember a certain little imp throwing snowballs at my head… the past several years especially have felt like a whirlwind… and now, yet another new chapter begins. I'm proud of you son… and Suki, welcome to the family, it's incredibly rare to come across two people who not only are so right for each other but who have realized it, and it's my hope that the two of you will have a long happy life together…"

For a minute or two nothing could be heard but the clattering of glasses made of ice.

Once the noise died down Ty Lee rose from the table where the other Kyoshi Warriors were sitting and again everyone rose their glasses.

"Ok, here it goes… Suki, I know I've only been one of you guys for a few years now… but these past few years have been the best of my whole life, so thank you for allowing me to become one of you even though there was a time when we used to be enemies… and also, I wanted to say that I say this coming even back then…. I never saw an aura so bright until I saw yours when Sokka was around, in fact you both brightened up a bit… and I hope it stays that way for a long, long time… you guys are great together…"

When the second round of clanging died down, it was Aang's turn to offer the final toast… He stood up, looked at his friends, and smiled.

"Sokka, Suki… what else is there really to say… you guys are two of the best friends I've ever had and I love seeing both of you as happy as you are now… congratulations guys…" he told them.

"Thanks Buddy, that means a lot…" Sokka replied. "Thanks for joining us tonight everyone… now let's eat! Let the feasting, and the dancing begin! Let's get this party started!" Sokka announced.

Once he said that, the drummers started playing music one could actually dance to, and they were joined in this effort by a group of musicians from a certain fire nation school, who had been located by Zuko, invited to perform by Aang, and now played under the direction of Iroh and the guests started to disperse between the food table and the dance floor.

As the night wore on, Aang began searching for the right opportunity to carry out his own plans. It was the winter solstice, it was a full moon, on an especially clear night… this was it… this was exactly the kind of night he'd always thought of as being the perfect time. The hard part, would be keeping the element of surprise. He knew that he had to get them away from the crowd, after all, this was Sokka's wedding reception… but that wasn't going to be easy without spoiling the surprise. Finally, he saw the opportunity he'd been waiting for, everyone else seemed to be occupied and Katara was watching the surprisingly good duo of GranGran and Paku trapesing across the dance floor. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to follow him outside.

Aang thought they'd escaped notice, but Sokka saw them go and he and Suki gave each other a knowing look as they danced. _It's time…_ they seemed to say.

They moved out the side door onto the large covered deck which was used for tribal meetings when more people showed up than there was room for inside the building. It was a very cold but beautiful night out, and for a while, the two of them stood side by side in silence looking up at the stars.

Katara was the first one to speak.

"What is it Aang? What are we doing out here?" she asked.

Aang took a deep breath and turned to face her. This was it… the moment of truth…

"I needed to do this somewhere where it was just you and me…" he began.

"Do what?"

"Katara I… I love you, more than anything, and I want us to be together, always, for the rest of our lives. That's why I brought you out here so I could give you this…" he continued.

He pulled the betrothal necklace out of his robes, got down on one knee and held it out to her.

"Katara, would you do me the extraordinary honor of marrying me?" he asked.

For a moment, Katara couldn't breathe… her mind went blank… she'd known this day was somewhere on the horizon, she'd even secretly hoped it would be soon, but the timing came as a complete surprise to her. She stared for a moment at the Aang, kneeling before her, holding out a beautiful and flawlessly carved betrothal necklace. The main pendant was round, and carved into it was an Airbender wind spiral. She'd seen this symbol quite a bit since meeting Aang but the ends of this one fanned out with a wave to them, giving it an almost untamed appearance. The main pendant was surrounded on three sides by small, delicate crescent moons… the symbolism of the necklace was clear, moon, ocean, and air… the joining of two distinct people, from two distinct cultures who nonetheless completed each other. This meant a lot considering that just a few years earlier Aang had, had his doubts about whether or not it was possible for the nations to exist together in this way…

As Aang waited for her response, it was as though the world itself had stopped moving, like the two of them were frozen in time. Each solitary second seemed to last an eternity. He wasn't even really worried that she would say no… he just wanted her to say…something…

"Of course I will Aang…" she finally answered, throwing her arms around him. "I love you too…" she added as he returned her passionate embrace and they both rose to their feet.

When the two of them finally let go of each other, Katara carefully removed her mother's necklace, tucking it into her dress where one layer met another where it would stay until she could go home and put it somewhere safe. One day, she would pass it on to her daughter or granddaughter but it was time to wear her own betrothal necklace instead. She turned around and Aang, slipped the new one carefully around her neck and fastened the clasp at the back.

Aang examined her expression carefully as he watched her peer down at it.

"Do you like it?" he finally asked.

"I love it…it's the most beautiful betrothal necklace I've ever seen…" she told him.

"Still not as beautiful as you…not even close…" he replied and the two shared another embrace and kissed each other passionately.


	11. Chapter 11 We Are One

***I know, I know... this one took forever. I apologize. The reason for the delay? I was sick all weekend and had two papers to write. Now that it's finally done... the moment we've all been waiting for...***

 **Episode 11: We Are One**

8 Months Later

"We were strangers on a crazy adventure, never dreaming how our dreams would come true. Now here we stand, unafraid of the future, at the beginning with you" – Richard Marx & Donna Lewis

Over the past several months, news of Aang and Katara's engagement had spread quickly throughout the world and almost everyone was overjoyed by the news. The world had come a long way in the last few years, but it was still a far cry from what it once had been. The war was over but the world was still out of balance in one crucial and glaring way. Aang was still the only Airbender left, and short of a miracle there seemed to be only one way to remedy this fact… that was for the true Air Nation to continue via Aang's bloodline. Otherwise, while the culture might live on through the Air Acolytes, airbending would die with him. No one really wanted to speak this aloud, but everyone knew it was the truth. Aang himself never acknowledged it, not consciously anyway… it was like an undercurrent of pressure that was always there deep in the recesses of his mind. It mostly came to the surface in ways that weren't obvious… Like in how much information he tried to cram in to his cultural lessons with the acolytes and how happy he got when someone new joined the ranks.

By the time Sokka and Suki had been married for over half a year, Katara and Aang's wedding day was quickly approaching as well. They'd spent almost all their spare time planning it down to the last detail. The two of them had worked hard to mix their cultural traditions as they most likely would be doing for the rest of their lives.

This wasn't easy, as there were certain things on which the two cultures were very, very different. The date was one issue, Air Nomad tradition was to plan such things on particularly auspicious days, and neither one was willing to wait until the next winter solstice even though that would have been the ideal for both cultures. Finally, they'd settled on the autumnal equinox, the beginning of autumn, a particularly high day on the Air Nomad calendar, and the fifth anniversary of the war's end.

The next thing was where to have the ceremony, Air Nomad tradition would have been to hold ceremonies such as weddings outdoors…. But that was made a bit difficult by where they currently lived. There was a reason Sokka and Suki had chosen the inside of the Village Hall. Except maybe, maybe, right in the middle of summer, the weather could be extreme and while everyone who actually lived there was (for the most part) used to it, it was fairly certain that their many friends across the world were not… so what they'd eventually decided, was to have the wedding at the Southern Spirit Oasis, which had been rediscovered and rebuilt in the years between the end of the war and their original return home. Both because it was the spiritual heart and most sacred ground in the entire South Pole, and also because the massive amount of spiritual energy warmed it so that rather than snow and permafrost the crescent shaped pond was instead surrounded by grass and even conifer trees. These things combined made it the ideal spot.

Katara had chosen to wear a blue and silver version of the traditional Air Nomad wedding dress, which normally would have been yellow and orange. It was actually in three pieces. First was a long, floor length sleeveless gown, next was a long, V-necked robe that was sewn shut from the point of the V-neck to wear it fell at her hips, with the rest of it going farther, down to meet the tip of the first layer. There was silver embroidery along the seam at the front of the robe, and an intricate decorative pattern spread roughly two inches out from it on both sides. Finally, there was the veil, which rather than covering her face, was attached to an ornate silver headdress and went over her head and around shoulders down to her waist. It too, was decorated with silver thread so that it would shine in the moonlight like a curtain of stars.

One tradition that both cultures shared was that the bride and groom were totally off limits to each other on the day of the wedding until the actual ceremony. So, on the eve of the wedding, the couple had retreated to separate makeshift huts which had been constructed for the occasion just outside the Spirit Oasis. Katara was pacing around hers in the sleeveless gown that formed the first layer of her wedding garments. The robe that belonged over it hung on a hanger, on a hook on the wall opposite the door. The veil and headdress sat on the dresser along that same wall. She didn't want to finish up too early and mess something up, but now there were still a couple hours until the start of the ceremony and it felt like there was too much time left with nothing to do but wait.

Suddenly she heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Katara, it's me…Suki…can I come in?" a familiar voice asked.

Katara opened the door to find that it was indeed Suki, standing in the doorway wearing her new parka, she smiled and stepped out of the way to let her sister-in-law inside.

"I thought you might like some company…." Suki told her as she came in and slid the door shut behind her.

Katara responded by immediately hugging her. "You have no idea… there's still more than two hours until the ceremony and I can't even think straight… and I can't talk to Aang… I hate this part…"

"Ok, calm down Katara, you'll see… the next two hours will go by like that…" Suki told her, snapping her fingers. "Besides… it doesn't look like you're even close to ready yet…want some help?" she asked.

"Yes please…" Katara replied.

"Ok, start by putting the robe on and then I'll do your hair…" Suki told her.

Katara nodded and shot her a relieved smile.

Meanwhile…

Aang was in a similar hut on the other side of the oasis. In order to make sure the bride and groom didn't see each other until the ceremony, there were no windows in these huts. Surprisingly, the usually harsh landscape was unusually calm. The winds that were usually howling in this area were distinctly absent, leaving the whole area in an eerie quiet.

Aang was already dressed for the ceremony, wearing a simple suit that had been cut from the same cloth as Katara's wedding dress. It had the same silver embroidery, just less of it. He now sat meditating, forcing himself to relax and clear his mind.

After he'd been sitting in his meditative state for a while, he sensed that something had changed and when he opened his eyes to see what, he found himself in the Spirit World.

Almost as soon as he realized that he was indeed, in the Spirit World, Roku appeared before him.

"Roku…" Aang exclaimed in greeting.

"It's good to see you Aang…"

"What am I doing here?" Aang asked.

"Well, the other past Avatars and I can't make it to the actual wedding… so we thought we'd talk to you before… and besides there are a few other Spirits who wish to speak to you as well…" Roku replied. "I told you it gets better…"

Aang smiled. "You were right…"

"I'm glad that particular piece of wisdom was proved correct… let me offer you this wisdom… in my life, I learned quickly that Ta Min was more than just the love of my life, she was my best friend, voice of reason, and greatest ally… the road ahead will not always be easy… married life rarely is easy, and your responsibilities as the Avatar will further complicate that journey… but both become easier when you realize there's someone at your side… my point is, every marriage is a partnership… your position compels you to strike an especially delicate balance, which will be almost impossible unless you remember that the two of you are in this together…" Roku counseled him.

"Thanks for the advice Roku…"

"You are most welcome Aang…" Roku replied as he drifted away, only to have Avatar Kuruk appear almost immediately to take his place.

"Hello Aang…"

"Hi Avatar Kuruk…"

"What awaits you in the mortal world reminds me very much of my own life… let me help you to not repeat my mistakes. Roku already explained that just as you must keep balance in the world and within yourself you must also keep balance between your responsibilities to the world and your responsibilities to your own family… in my life, I learned the hard way that the two are intimately connected. I lost my beloved to Koh as punishment for ignoring my responsibilities as the bridge between the mortal and spirit worlds. She paid the price for my negligence. Don't repeat my mistakes, and don't make a similar one on the other side of the coin, this is the wisdom I offer you young one…"

"I understand, thank you Avatar Kuruk…"

Before Kuruk could say anything else, he and Roku switched places again, only this time, Roku had brought his dragon, Fang.

"Come… there are a couple more spirits who wish to speak with you before I send you back…" He beckoned.

Aang obeyed and took his place on the dragon's back behind Roku and they flew off.

"Where are we going this time Roku?"

"It's not a matter of where… it's a matter of to whom…" The former Avatar replied.

It wasn't long before they landed in what appeared to be a grassy meadow surrounded by cliffs. Aang looked around, but saw no one…

"Um…Roku… there's nobody here…" Aang observed.

"Oh really…? I guess I'm not really here right now then…" replied a familiar voice.

"Malu?!" Aang exclaimed when he followed the sound of the voice and saw his sister walking toward him. She looked just the same as she had when he'd freed her from the Tatarimoke over a year previously, well…almost…. Something had changed. She seemed, happier, at peace…

"Don't look so surprised, you trying to tell me I can't say 'hi' to my big brother on his wedding day?" she asked as she approached.

"No…of course not…it's good to see you…" he told her, slightly teary-eyed.

He wanted to hug her but although they were in the Spirit World he wasn't entirely sure, since this was the first time he'd come across the departed soul of someone other than one of his own past lives, whether or not she was solid.

Sensing his hesitation, she hugged him instead.

"I miss you…" he told her.

"I didn't really go anywhere… I left the physical world but I didn't leave you and I never will… We're family. Anyway, we don't have much time but I wanted to say I'm happy for you…" She told him.

"Thanks…but how are you here?"

"All souls go on forever, some of us come to the spirit world, and some, like the avatar spirit within you are reborn. Remember, time is an illusion and so is death…"

"That's what the guy in the Swamp told me." Aang remembered.

"Sounds like a guy who knows what he's talking about." She replied. "I have to go now, you're only allowed to see one of us at a time, and there's someone else here who wants to talk to you… Don't worry, you'll see me again…" she told him, hugging him again and squeezing as though her life depended on it. As soon as she let go, she faded away.

Before long another figure appeared right where Malu had come from. This one wasn't someone Aang recognized. She was obviously from the Water Tribe and actually looked a great deal like Katara but was obviously older, appearing to be in her early to mid-thirties.

"Hello…" Aang said in greeting.

"Hello Aang…it's good to finally meet you in person…"

"Um…I'm sorry Ma'am but, who exactly are you?" Aang asked, confused.

"My name is Kya…" she replied, knowing that, that was enough.

 _Kya, where have I heard that name before?_ Aang thought, searching his memory. Then suddenly it dawned on him. "Wait a second…you're Katara and Sokka's mom aren't you?" He asked.

"That's right…" she answered with a broad warm smile on her face.

Aang was awestruck but instinctually gave a bow of respect. "It's an honor to meet you Ma'am.

"The honor is all mine, I asked Roku to bring you here for two reasons… first… as a mother, I wanted to welcome you as my very soon to be son-in-law and also to thank you…"

"For what?" Aang asked.

"Ten years ago the Fire Nation came to our village seeking to find the last Southern waterbender and eliminate her. I lied and gave myself up to protect my daughter and our people. It was my decision and I would do it again. Thanks to you the war is over and I no-longer have to fear that the Fire Nation will one day figure out that I lied, on top of that… when the moment came, you, your council and friendship saved Katara from herself. I never wanted her to lower herself to that despicable man's level on my behalf. Even more than that… without even realizing it, you have filled at least part of the hole in her being that I left behind. For these reasons, I am eternally in your debt. Seeing her as happy as you make her means more than you know…"

"Honestly Ma'am there's no reason to thank me…I love her more than anything…"

Kya's smile only grew when he said that.

"Regardless, you have my gratitude and I couldn't ask for a better son-in-law…may the two of you have a long, happy life together… I wish I could go to the wedding in person but I will be watching from here… Now before you go back to the physical world I have one small request…" She told him.

"Anything. What is it?" he asked.

"As far as Katara is to know, this conversation never happened. You will not tell her…."

"O..k…." Aang agreed reluctantly. It seemed to him that Katara would want to know about this, but he couldn't escape the intensity with which Kya was swearing him to secrecy. For some reason, it seemed imperative to her, that he keep this from Katara, and if there was one thing Aang had learned about the Spirit World, it was that when someone there told him to do something, it was almost always best to obey.

"It's for the best… I'd tell you that you'll understand someday but honestly I hope you never have to…now go… stay here much longer and you'll be late…" She cautioned.

The next thing Aang knew, he had returned to his body, and saw through the tiny space beneath the door that sunset was almost upon him. As soon as he registered the fact that he'd been in the Spirit World for over an hour and a half, he heard knocking at the door.

"Aang…it's me, Sokka…are you ready? It's time to go…" Sokka beckoned, sliding open the door to find his friend sitting on the floor in the lotus position. "Spirit world journey?" he asked.

"Yep, Roku pulled me in…"

"For what?" Sokka asked. "Were the past Avatars giving you marital advice or something?" he asked dubiously.

"Actually…yeah…"

"Alright then… get up, it's time for us to head to the Oasis…"

"Coming…" Aang replied, rising to his feet and following Sokka out into the windswept tundra.

Back in Katara's hut… Suki was carefully putting the veil and headdress on top of her head. Her long brown hair had been brushed and curled so that it fell like a brunet waterfall around her shoulders. The blue veil and silver headdress framed it beautifully.

"There….we're done…you're ready…" Suki told her, handing her a mirror.

"Thank you so much for this Suki…" Katara replied.

"Don't mention it…anything for my favorite sister-in-law… I know you're my only sister-in-law but still…" Suki replied.

The two of them shared a laugh at that but then they heard a knock at the door.

"It's me…" Came a familiar voice.

"Come in Dad…" Katara told him.

At her words, Hakoada slid the door open and came in. When he saw his daughter his blue eyes went wide.

"Katara…"

"Hi Dad…" She replied turning to face him.

"You…you look so beautiful…you remind me of your mother, on our wedding day…" he told her.

That made Katara tear up just a little…

"I wish she was here…"

"She is… and I know she's proud of you… I love you…" he told her, hugging her gently.

"Guys… I hate to interrupt but it's time…" Suki told them. "Let's go…"

At her words, Hakoada offered Katara his hand. "Can I walk with you?" he asked.

"Of course…" Katara replied, taking it.

When they left the hut and entered the tunnel leading into the oasis, they could hear the mix between the water tribe ceremonial drums and the air acolytes chanting… When they reached the end of the tunnel, the cavern opened to reveal the warm, grassy meadow surrounded by cliffs and the crescent-shaped pool of spirit water at the center.

Aang was waiting for her beneath the arch in front of the pool, standing next to him was Iroh, who had agreed to fulfill the same role for them that Aang had for Sokka and Suki eight months earlier. Their friends and family from around the world had gathered once again and stood on either side of the arch, surrounding the pool except for a small path along the water's edge that they left clear. When they got close to the arch, Hakoada let go of his daughter's hand and took his place at the front of the crowd.

Katara took her place beside Aang, who looked at her with love, contentment, and joy in his gray eyes. Katara returned his gaze, struck by the fact that the goofy kid she found in the iceburg had grown into the man who now stood at her side, the love of her life…and now here they stood, about to start their life together.

Then the ceremony began. The music stopped, a hushed silence fell on everyone present in the oasis, leaving only an aura of excited anticipation.

"Good evening everyone…" Iroh began. "Tonight, we gather on ancient and hallowed ground to celebrate the marriage of Katara and Aang. There are few things in the universe quite so wonderful as the joining of two hearts in a bond such as this… Now, Katara, Aang… take each other's arms…." He commanded.

They turned to face each other and did as they'd been told, and Iroh pulled two long sashes out of his robes. One was blue and the other was yellow. He took the blue one, and tied it around Katara's arm and Aang's wrist, then he took the yellow one and tied it around Aang's arm and Katara's wrist. Then he wrapped the rest of both around the couple's outstretched arms so that they met in the middle and tied them together.

"Do the two of you vow to love and honor one another, to support and balance each other as two parts of the same whole for as long as you both shall live?" he asked.

They looked into each other's eyes for a fraction of a second and confidently replied in unison "We do…"

"Then I declare you, husband and wife…" Iroh replied, using the faintest touch of firebending to burn the sashes and in doing so untie them.

No sooner were their arms freed then they embraced and kissed each other passionately, looking into each other's eyes as though no one else were around. Each filled with excitement for what life together had in store…


	12. Chapter 12 Arrival

* **This is where this story starts to get a little bit AU, because I'm using the OC Kataang children I came up with years ago before Korra was announced. To be fair, I also added Tenzin and Bumi (We had Kya in common). Yes that means they'll end up with a much larger family, but I tend to think of them as the kind of people who'd like a large family anyway***

 **Episode 12: The Arrival**

17 Months later

Winter 107 AG

"There is a world that's been addressed to you, addressed to you, intended only for your eyes A secret world Like a treasure chest to you, Of private scenes and brilliant dreams that mesmerize, A tender lover's trusting smile, a tiny baby's hands, the million stars that fill the turning sky at night. Oh I suggest, oh I suggest to you, oh I suggest this is the best part of your life. There is a hope, That's been expressed in you, it's the hope of seven generations, maybe more and this is the faith that they invest in you it's that you'll do one better than was done before Inside you know Inside you understand. Inside you know what's yours to finally set right And I suggest, and I suggest to you, and I suggest this is the best part of your life." – Susan Warner

Any day now, any day now Aang and Katara would welcome their first child into the world. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week… it could even be later that very day… they were so close now… soon everything would change. The last several months had seemed to crawl by while at the same time whenever they looked back on it, it seemed as though the time had flown. Even now it seemed only yesterday that they'd learned what was coming.

8 months earlier…

Much had changed in the last eight months. The United Republic had finally decided how they felt best to govern themselves. It had been decided that the City Hall of Republic City, the capital of the United Republic, would house a council made up of representatives from each of the four nations, all of whom were represented by the United Republic's population. These representatives were chosen by the leaders of their ancestral or native homelands. Three months before, Chief Hakoada had chosen Sokka to be the first person to represent the Southern Watertribe on the Republic City Council, causing Sokka and Suki to move there.

Katara and Aang however, still lived in the South Pole. Shortly before the wedding, Sokka had helped Aang build a hut not unlike the one they'd lived in for the past few years and it was in that house that Aang and Katara had spent their entire married life. Well, sort of… it was where they technically lived but the goings on in Republic City had required them to spend quite a bit of time there. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Republic City would remain the center of most of the sorts of things that required Aang's attention for quite some time.

Some wondered why Aang hadn't been as hands on as many expected him to be in the establishment of the United Republic's government. The reason was a simple one. The problems he and Zuko had run into when trying to carry out the Harmony Restoration Movement in its original form had taught him that sometimes it was best to, as long as it was happening peacefully and fairly, allow people to work things out for themselves. If he tried again to impose a particular vision on the population that wasn't their idea it would only create unneeded resentment for whatever system he tried to put in place. Just because he _could_ take direct control of a given situation that didn't mean he _should_.

At the moment, they were still staying on Air Temple Island. It was late, the room was dark, lit only by the moonlight streaming in through the open window. Katara found herself snuggled up against Aang in bed, in what was apparently the only double bed in the entire dormitory building of the temple complex; but for once it was she who found herself unable to sleep. Usually it was Aang who lay awake and listlessly played with her hair half the night, consumed by his thoughts. This time it was her. For the past couple of weeks or so, she had felt increasingly…off somehow… unusually tired and hungry…even the steps up to the second and third floors of the temple were becoming a challenge. Yet…other that the feeling of being inexplicably drained of her energy… she actually felt ok… there was nothing in particular that seemed to be wrong… She sighed almost silently, trying to convince herself that her problems would go away if she could just get some sleep… Aang had been so tense lately. He was serving on the council temporarily until he made his final decision of who among the Air Acolytes would serve on a more permanent basis, and that decision still weighed heavily on his mind. She didn't want to add his worries by letting on that something wasn't right. So she just laid there, as still and quiet as possible… on that night however… something changed. Her stomach lurched and she found herself springing out of bed and down the hall to the nearest bathroom.

Aang stirred the instant he sensed that Katara had left the room. The sudden absence of the warmth of her body next to his roused him from sleep. He yawned, got out of bed and went looking for her.

"Katara?" he called. "Dear, where'd you go?" he whispered. That's when he saw that there was a lamp lit in the bathroom. "Katara?" he asked at the door. She didn't reply, all he heard was nondescript muffled sounds. "Are you alright?" he asked. He started to worry when she still didn't reply, so he slid the door open. Once inside, he found her standing at the sink, leaning over it with her arms pressed against the counter on either side, supporting almost her entire weight.

"Sorry…" she whispered exhaustedly. "…didn't mean to wake you…"

"What's wrong?" Aang asked, concerned. He moved to stand at her side and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know…I feel sick…" she admitted. "I feel sick but I can't find anything wrong…"

That's when Aang realized what was really happening. During his earthbending training, Toph had blindfolded him many times and forced him to develop the ability to sense vibrations, but this was the first time he'd sensed anything like this. Before he said anything, he had to be sure, so he closed his eyes and squeezed his wife's shoulder. He concentrated and there it was again. Deep within her body… a second heartbeat…

In the mirror, Katara saw a smile creep across Aang's face. "Aang…what is it?" she asked, very confused.

"Katara… there's nothing wrong with you…I can feel a second heartbeat…"

"W-what…? Th-that means…"

He nodded.

"I'm…pregnant…no wonder I've felt so off lately…" She realized. Her fear melted away and was almost instantly replaced by elation and contentment, the sheer relief was dizzying. In the mirror she could see Aang beaming with joy, glancing at her a couple times a minute with amazement and adoration.

Aang gently hugged her from behind. "We're going to be parents…"

"I know, it's amazing isn't it?" she asked, turning her head and looking into his eyes. She returned his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you…" she sighed exhaustedly.

"I love you too…" he replied contentedly, running his fingers through her hair. He sighed. "It's late and you're dead on your feet…let's go back to bed and try to squeeze in at least a couple of hours before sunrise…" he suggested.

"Good idea…" she agreed.

Only a few minutes later they were back in bed and Katara found herself quickly drifting out of consciousness as she and Aang snuggled in each other's arms. Aang smiled, reached his head over, and lovingly kissed the side of her head, just in front of her ear, before falling back to sleep himself. His dreams that night were filled with memories of growing up at the Air Temple with Gyatso when he was a child.

Present Day…

Eight months went by and in that time Katara and Aang decided to move permanently to Air Temple Island. Aang had built them a house on the island, not far from the temple complex itself, but far enough to make it feel like it wasn't necessarily part of the temple. He'd also finally selected Jingbo to represent the Air Acolytes on the council…

Now the only thing on their minds was the impending arrival of their first child. Katara was due any day now… so far, as far as they could tell… everything had gone smoothly… though Aang still couldn't understand how on earth sea prunes would taste any better when they were mixed into mango-flavored pudding… or why Katara no-longer seemed to be able to stand sushi, which she ordinarily loved, unless it was the rice-paper veggie roles which she usually hated yet strangely liked right now for some reason… plus she'd been unusually moody off and on throughout this entire time. Sometimes she was her usual self, sometimes even the smallest of things could set her off and have her either flying off the handle or bursting into tears. From day to day Aang found it nearly impossible to predict which version of Katara he was going to get…

The day finally arrived just under than two weeks after the New Year… Katara collapsed while making a fruit salad for lunch, Aang saw this and caught her in his arms before she could hit the floor.

"What's wrong?!" he asked frantically. He didn't know what was happening and it terrified him. He looked into her eyes and saw his own fear reflected, except, she was trying to get ahold of herself, to calm down…

"N-nothing's wrong…it's time…"

"Time? Now?!"

Katara nodded as she grimaced in pain. Clearly she was trying very hard to appear to be in less pain than she actually felt.

"Momo!" Aang called, and the winged lemur appeared from where he'd been perched on the branches of a fruit tree outside. "Momo, I need you to go find Xing Ying and Yee-Li…" Aang ordered. At his master's word, the Lemur flew off toward the temple.

At the temple, Xing Ying and Yee-Li were sharing a pot of tea. Xing Ying was one of the original Air Acolytes, having founded the Avatar Aang Fan Club out of which the Acolytes had been born after Aang's discovery of their existence. For that reason she'd become the Mother Superior of the temple on Air Temple Island, having proven herself loyal to the ideals of the Air Nomad philosophy and culture which their very purpose was to preserve, despite a few early mistakes in the beginning.

"This is so exciting!" Yee-Li exclaimed. "Just think… any day now there might be a new Airbender in the world… the first one in over a century…"

"I know… but remember… this child could just as easily be a waterbender like their mother… and we probably won't find out for a while, possibly years after he or she is born… anyway I suppose the important thing is to be ready… since we've been asked to help deliver the child… Avatar Aang said that they'd get the message to us somehow when the time came…we need to watch for whatever form that message comes in… this is a very important task…" Xing Ying reminded her.

That's when Momo arrived at the window, the lemur grabbed Xing Ying's hand with his feet and yanked at her.

"What is it Momo?" she asked.

"I think he wants us to follow him…" Yee-Li observed. Then it dawned on her. "This must be the message we've been waiting for!"

Meanwhile, Aang had carried Katara back to their room and put her down gently on their bed. It wasn't long before Xing-Ying and Yee-Li arrived with water and clean towels ready to help. At this stage, Aang knew that there was very little he could do that he hadn't already and now his best course of action was to remain at Katara's side and let her use his hand as an outlet for the pain.

She was holding it so tightly that though he dared not say so, he was sure that if she squeezed much more she'd break it. Tiny beads of sweat had already formed on her forehead and things were just getting started.

Finally, after almost thirteen hours, only an hour before midnight… the first cries of a newborn infant could be heard coming from the second floor.

"it's a girl!" Xing-Ying announced.

Without another word she quickly dried and swaddled the infant before placing her gently in Katara's waiting arms. After that the two Air Acolytes present backed away so as not to intrude.

Once she was in her mother's arms she immediately stopped crying and began to nurse while Katara gazed down at her daughter with such utter and complete contentment and love on a level she had never felt before, nor known was possible.

Aang couldn't believe it… it was as though the universe itself had shifted focus. Here, in Katara's arms, was their daughter… she was fair skinned like him, but had an almost full head of dark brown hair like her mother's. When she finally opened her eyes, they were the same blue as Katara's. She was tiny, and helpless, but already so full of life. As she gazed up at her adoring parents, there was something about the look in her eyes, something strong, something inexplicably aware… there was a spark there that was…hard to explain… To Aang, in that moment, she was the single most beautiful, and most important creature in the universe.

"She's so beautiful…." Aang observed.

"She is…" Katara agreed.

"You did great Sweetie…" he told her.

"I couldn't have done it without you…" she replied, kissing him affectionately.

"What are you gonna name her?" Yee-Lee asked, only to get a _shut up_ glare from Xing-Ying.

Katara and Aang looked at each other for a moment and smiled.

"Aurora…" Katara finally replied.


	13. Chapter 13 Reflections on Fatherhood

**Episode 13: Reflections on Fatherhood**

3 years later…

110 AG

"I wanna give her the world, I wanna be her Dad, I wanna hold her close for as long as I can, I'm gonna show her what it means to be loved." – Mark Schultz

In the coming days and weeks, Katara and Aang adapted to life with their new little girl. As was always done in the Water Tribe, Aurora spent nearly all of the first six months of her life being carried around by one of her parents. In the first few weeks, she was usually carried in a sling across Katara's chest, eventually Aang started to take her periodically for a few hours to give Katara a bit of break as well as bond with his daughter. At the same time, she also slept in the same bed, cradled between her parents. With both of them right there with her at night, Aurora stopped crying at night for the most part, from a very early age. By the time she was a year and a half old, she wobbled around following her parents almost everywhere. When Aang sat meditating beneath the fig tree outside their front door, Aurora would crawl into his lap when he was too focused to notice her and sit there until he stopped, looking up curiously at her father, trying to understand what he was doing.

By the time she was three years old, Aurora had been joined by a pair of twins, her little brother and sister. Their names were Bumi and Zéia. Bumi had been named after an old friend of their father's, King Bumi, of Omashu, who had died right around the time the twins were born. Zéia's name meant 'Shooting Star', because she was born at dusk with a meteor shower visible in the sky.

In just three years Katara and Aang had gone from childless newlyweds to the proud parents of three children. They now had a three year old and two one year olds. All in all things had remained relatively quiet. Occasionally Zuko, the Earth King, or even the United Council would ask for Aang's advice or check to see if he thought something they'd come up with was a good idea, but, compared to wartime and its immediate aftermath things were relatively peaceful.

What surprised Aang more than anything else, was just how naturally fatherhood came to him. He'd never had a real example to go by, having never known his own parents. It made no sense that this of all things would come so easily to him. The only relative he knew for sure he'd known, was his younger sister and he'd spent their whole life together not knowing they were related. Still, he found fatherhood as natural as breathing… he simply loved them and acted accordingly. At this stage there was little more to it than that. Aurora was adventurous and curious and tended to run a little farther off than he liked when he failed to keep a sharp enough eye on her, but in general she was a sweet natured and well behaved child so not much was usually required when it came to discipline. In both ways, she reminded him of what Malu had been like when they were young children growing up at the Southern and Western Air Temples.

He sighed. Even now, over seven years after the incident with his sister, his failure to keep her safe still bothered him. He knew in his mind at least, that there was nothing he could have done and had he stayed and tried to help he'd more than likely have suffered the same fate. In his heart though he longed for his children to know what little there would have been of his side of the family. Maybe he was imagining things but with her black hair and round face, to him Zéia looked quite a bit like her Aunt Malu…at least as much if not more than Aurora acted like her, in fact, if she hadn't inherited Katara's skin tone and his gray eyes, she'd have been Malu's spitting image… of course that might be partly because Aang and his sister had looked quite a bit alike themselves when she was alive. No matter how much he wanted it though, the children would never know their aunt. She was gone… taken from him by the Fire Nation along with the rest of their people. All that would ever be left, all that Aurora, Zéia, and Bumi would know of that world would be the stories he would tell them of his own childhood.

At the same time that their family was growing, things in Republic City were changing too. A school had been founded by the city which was open to all children regardless of their background. It was an idea left over from the city's colonial past. Until now, the Fire Nation was the only place that did that and almost everyone agreed it was one of their better ideas. The city council saw it as a way to build cohesion in their young and multicultural society and passed the motion to create it unanimously on the condition that one of the focuses of its curriculum was history and world cultures. The hope was that by teaching the city's children, the younger of whom had been born at the end of and after the Hundred Year War, what the past century of conflict had cost the world they would raise up a generation who would know better than to start another one.

Aang had made his support for the idea well known. He'd been trying to figure out how to bring the city's very different residents together and to end the class differences that had arisen when the city had been a Fire Nation colony and had largely fallen along cultural lines. The school seemed to be a way to accomplish both, even if it might be a generation to two before they would see the full effect.

Strange as it might seem to someone who looked in from the outside, Aang had struggled to find his place and purpose in the world since the war ended. He'd gone from having a singular goal and mission to solve a defined and singular problem, to putting out hundreds of smaller fires, to not really knowing what to do next as far as his responsibilities as the Avatar went. Now that he had a family of his own to protect he was starting to understand what he needed to do, to improve the world, not restore it to its pre-war state or even create something new, as he'd done by laying the groundwork for the formation of the United Republic, but create a better world. He was still trying to figure out exactly what that meant and how to accomplish it…and he was sure that his idea of what that world would look like would probably be different than what others would imagine… he'd already run into that with Toph when he'd tried to reinstitute Yang Chen's festival years earlier… _I'll have to be more careful to incorporate other people's ideas this time around… After all, in the end Toph and I were both right and both wrong by ourselves… it took both of us to find a real solution…_ He reminded himself.

The fact was, just looking at his children, just watching Aurora play or sitting on the floor of their home with the twins as they took turns wobbling toward either him or Katara… knowing how much safer and carefree their childhoods would be compared to the several generations that had preceded them made every battle, every sleepless night, every scrape, every ounce of trouble, or hour of training it had taken to end the war and build what had already risen from its ashes totally and completely worth it on a level he'd never thought possible.

As far as he knew he was still the last Airbender. As of yet none of the children had shown any sign of being a bender of either element, though it was still early days for that. The twins really were too young at this point and benders usually saw the first signs of their abilities when they became angry, upset, or excited and Aurora was such an easy-going and joyful little girl and things had been going so well lately that, that hadn't really happened yet. He could wait a little longer… and really he'd be both happy and proud as long as they grew up to make something of themselves and do what made them happy… It would be great if any of them turned out to be a waterbender like their mother… if one or more of them were Airbenders like him, even better; but in the grand scheme of things that wasn't what was most important. He just wanted them to be happy, and to be the kind of father who would help get them there.

Aang considered all this while meditating under his favorite tree… that is until Aurora came up behind him, jumped up, and pulled on his ears, trying to get his attention. When she was certain she had it, she jumped on him from behind and leaned over his shoulder. She was tiny, with her head coming a couple inches below his knee when they stood side by side. Her brown hair had grown out long and thick and now reached almost all the way down her back. She wore an adorable little light blue dress with a purple sash that Katara had made for her when winter had turned to spring.

"Aurora, Sweetheart, what are you doing?" He asked.

The little girl grabbed her father's wrist with both hands and started to tug, beckoning him to follow her.

"Daddy, Daddy! Cmere… I gotta show you something… I already showed Mommy but I made her promise not to tell you… c'mon Daddy…"

He smiled at her and sighed as he rose to his feet. He'd grown used to her interruptions since she'd learned to walk and he knew that she was still a bit young to fully understand what meditation was, so he didn't mind too much.

"Coming my little Moon Peach…" He replied, using his pet name for her.

"Yay!" she exclaimed happily as she scurried off as fast as her little legs would carry her toward the shoreline, with Aang following close behind.

"Ok Darling, what was it you were so excited to show me?" he asked when they reached the water's edge.

"Look what I can do!" she exclaimed, and just like that… Aang watched his daughter stream a small amount of water and turn it from liquid, to snow, and back again. No doubt about it anymore… Aurora was a waterbender…

"When did you figure out you could waterbend Aurora?" Aang asked.

"Last week… I got really mad at this bird because it stole my cookie and there was a puddle right by me and next thing I know the bird got hit with a snowball…I didn't know what happened so I tried it a few times and then I showed Mommy and now I'm showing you… Mommy says that when I'm a little bigger she can teach me to do all kinds of neat stuff…" She explained, jumping up and down with excitement, the waves rising and falling with her.

"Come here you little cutie…" Aang replied scooping her up and tickling her.

Aurora giggled endlessly as he did this.

"Daddy… Daddy stop it…put me down…"

"Never! You will be my captured princess!" he replied, tossing her over his shoulder.

"I am not! You're being silly…"

"Well I'm your dad and that's my job…"

"You're weird… but I love you!" she replied sweetly, slipping down just enough so that she could wrap her little arms around Aang's neck and kiss him on the cheek. "You're the best Daddy in the whole wide world…" she told him.

"I love you too Aurora… more than you will ever know…" Aang whispered as he carried her back to the house.


	14. Chapter 14: Let Her Be Little

***Finally, I know this Chapter is late but it's also a long one. Just so you guys know updates might slow down a bit for the next month and a half or so, we're past midterm and school assignments like projects and papers are coming due for me and that stuff has to come first but I'll do the best I can***

Episode 14: Let Her Be Little

"The Greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of love and the wings of independence." – Denis Waitley

9 Months Later:

Six months passed and spring came again to Republic City. Everywhere, both on Air Temple Island and in the city itself, cherry trees bloomed with their beautiful, fragrant pink blossoms that signaled the annual rebirth of the region's plant and animal life. Appa's new coat had come in, and Aang and Katara had bathed him in the island's only freshwater lake the previous day to get rid of the rest of the previous year's so that he'd stop shedding.

There was plenty more in the city that was new, Toph had been appointed to be the chief of police, since the police force was now comprised almost entirely of metalbenders and Toph had trained most of them, it only made sense that she should be the one to lead them.

There are was an air of excitement in Aang and Katara's house that morning. Aurora, who had woken up well before sunrise, tiptoed from her room into her parents', still wearing her purple pajamas, but found that they were both already awake as well. Only her little brother and sister, who still slept with their parents, remained asleep in the giant bed. The twins had their own rooms but still slept with Mommy and Daddy, a fact Aurora hated immensely because she was no-longer allowed, except when Daddy had to travel alone or if she came in and begged after having a nightmare. 'We moved you into your own room when you were two… they still have a few months to go.' Daddy had reminded her when she'd complained.

She both loved and hated growing up. There were some things about being little, like sleeping with her parents, that she wished didn't have to end. Then there were the parts that were thrilling, like today. With her fourth birthday come and gone… she was finally old enough to start school at the academy in the city, the best part of all being the fact that she would finally have kids her own age to play with. She only had one cousin so far, and she was even younger than the twins. School on the other hand, would put her in a class full of children between four and five years old like her. She couldn't wait to put on her new uniform and head into town.

Aurora found her mother in the kitchen slicing watermelon and squeezing guava juice for breakfast. She tiptoed as quietly as she could until she stood right beside her. Mommy and Daddy had told her a few weeks ago that in a few more months they would have two new babies, yet another set of twins… Aurora didn't quite understand the whole thing. How did Mommy and Daddy know that? Mommy was starting to look a little bigger around than she normally did… was that it? And how had the babies gotten in there? How were they gonna get out? No matter how hard she tried to figure it out, it just didn't make sense.

"Good morning Aurora…" Katara told her without looking away from her work. "Are you excited?"

"I can't wait!" Aurora replied. "Hey Mommy, where's Daddy?" she asked.

"He's outside, meditating… do you want to be my little helper this morning?" she asked.

"Sure…" Aurora replied with a smile.

Katara then handed her a plate with a slice of watermelon on it.

"We need to set the table for breakfast, would you take that over and put it in Daddy's spot please?"

"Ok…" she replied, then she carefully carried the plate into the next room and set it down in Aang's usual place at their large, low dining table.

It wasn't long before Katara followed her with hers and Aurora's slices. Aurora's was cut in half and had the wrine removed to make it easier for the little girl to eat.

"Ok, now you can help by going and telling your father it's almost time to eat, tell him to get the twins up and then you come in and wash while I finish setting the table… ok?"

"Ok Mommy…" Aurora replied, then she scurried off to do what she'd been told.

Meanwhile, Aang was mediating on what would happen later that same day. It was so hard to believe that already, his little girl, his firstborn, was starting school. It seemed like only yesterday that she'd been born. She'd grown so much in that time, yet she still seemed so very little… her training as a waterbender was only just getting underway… and already it had been made clear that she'd inherited her mother's natural talent… progressing quickly through the most basic set of forms despite her young age. He was so proud of her, but sometimes he wished he could stop time and keep her tiny and innocent a lot longer. Still, he knew she needed this. It was a major opportunity that neither he, nor Katara had, had, and when they were younger it hadn't been necessary except maybe in the Fire Nation, but in their changing world it was probably Aurora's best chance. Plus would give her the one thing that so far they had failed to find, the chance to make friends that were her own age instead of just adults and children who were either significantly older or younger.

That's when he felt her jump up and hug him from behind, dragging him back to the present.

"Morning Daddy…" she told him.

"Good morning Sweetheart…" he replied.

"Mommy says it's time for breakfast, and she wants you to get the twins up."

"Ok… I'm coming…" He replied.

Aurora smiled, kissed him on the cheek, slid down and skipped into the house. Aang followed, but passed her, running at top Airbender speed.

Ten minutes later, Aang brought the twins, roused from sleep, into the dining room, where there was a bowl of tiny round pieces of watermelon waiting for each of them. He handed Bumi to Katara and sat down next to her with Zéia still in his arms.

He and Katara fed the twins, taking a bite of their own slice, then giving the child they were holding a piece of theirs.

"Alright, we need to get going if we're going to get there on time. Aurora Sweetie, go get dressed…" Katara told her daughter when they'd finished eating.

"I'll clear the table and do the dishes…" Aang offered.

"And I'll get the twins dressed." She replied, picked Zeia up out of her father's lap.

Another twenty minutes later, Katara was combing through Aurora's long brown hair, pulling it back into pigtail braids that when finished came to rest on her shoulders. The little girl sat nicely in the white shirt which was fastened at the front by a small pin bearing the school's insignia, and low, black jumper with wide straps that covered her shoulders, which together made up the primary school uniform.

When she was satisfied, Katara brought her daughter to her feet and turned her around.

"Beautiful…" She commented, taking both her daughter's hands. "So…are you ready?"

"Uh huh…" She replied with a small nod in the affirmative.

"You're sure…? Because we could just as easily wait until next year…" She offered. It seemed like this day had come so quickly. To her, Aurora was still her baby, she belonged here, with her and Aang… but holding her back from what she was ready for wouldn't be good for her in the long run; and Katara knew it. She'd grown up so fast… _"Enjoy it you two, they don't stay this little for very long…"_ GranGran had told them when they'd gone down to the South Pole to visit when Aurora was a year and a half old. As usual, she'd been right…

"What? No… I wanna go…!" Aroura exclaimed, stomping her foot.

"Ok Dear, this year it is…" Katara assured her, buckling her tiny shoes and tying the black silk ribbon so that it didn't look loose around her collar and came to form a bow at the front, secure but not tight enough to choke her.

"Hey…ladies…are we ready…?" Aang asked, poking his head into Aurora's room.

"Almost…" Katara replied.

"The twins are getting restless and we'll be late for the ceremony if we don't get going soon." He reminded them, that's when he saw Aurora, and almost cried. "Aurora…"

"Do I look pretty Daddy?"

"Beautiful…and so grown up…"

Aurora smiled broadly, beaming with pride and excitement.

"Let's go…" He beckoned.

Before long they were on their way, flying on Appa's back deep into the heart of the city where a long, three story, gray, brick building, topped with a black tiled pagoda roof that had a large courtyard with a playground stood at the end of one of the main streets.

They touched down off to the right of the front steps outside the building just as they saw Sokka and Suki walking toward them.

"Uncle Sokka! Aunt Suki! You guys are here!" Aurora exclaimed, sliding down from Appa, running toward them and jumping into Sokka's outstretched arms.

"There's our girl… Of course we came, we wouldn't miss this for the world…" Sokka replied, hugging her.

"How'd you get the day off from the council Sokka?" Katara asked.

"Simple, all the other council members have school age kids, luckily they were all moving up from one level to the next, so they had reason to be here today too, so we voted unanimously to cancel today's council meeting…" He explained.

"That was lucky…" Katara replied.

That's when they heard one of the teachers from the top of the steps. "First years over here, all first year students follow me…" he called. The teacher himself couldn't be more than twenty years old and wore the adult version of the boys' uniform, a plain, black suit with a stand-up collar, which fastened down the front.

Aurora jumped down out of Sokka's arms but she hesitated. She looked up at her family, her parents, her brother and sister who rode, one on her father's shoulders, and one in a sling on his back, at her aunt and uncle… only after they smiled and nodded in the affirmative, did she run up and get in line with the other students.

At the same time, someone else directed family members to the auditorium.

School was new territory for this group, the four of them weren't entirely sure what to expect, but as they entered the auditorium they came into a giant room with a stage surrounded by wooden bleachers. The older students, save a few who could be seen setting up various last minute details on the stage, were standing in neat rows on the floor in front of the stage, apparently waiting for something. There were probably about four or five hundred of them ranging in age from five or six up to sixteen or seventeen and were grouped by class years. Katara and Aang took their seats in the fourth row up, setting the twins in between them. Sokka and Suki joined them, sitting next to Katara just as the other parents and relatives were filing in. Only once everyone was seated and a hushed but excited silence had fallen on the crowd did the headmaster come onto the stage to speak.

"Welcome students, parents, and family members, as many of you know…eleven years ago the hundred year war finally ended, nine years ago our beloved city was freed from the control of both the Fire Nation and the Earth kingdom and instead of being returned as lost property, we were allowed to build something new out of the ashes of over a century of conflict and colonialism. Finally, two years ago, the council voted to take our scattered and inconsistent education system, a left over from our colonial past, and unify it into something more befitting our new republic as a way to prepare the next generation to lead us into the future. While many of our students came in at varying levels when this school was founded this is only the third time I have great pleasure of welcoming a class of brand new first year students. Without further ado, let's let them join us…" He concluded.

He nodded to a group of older students sitting in chairs with various instruments who began to play a triumphant, almost regal sounding tune as a parade of roughly fifty or so four and five year olds were led into the room by the same teacher who had been waiting for them outside. They made their way up the center isle in two lines and filed into rows on either side, in front of the older students. There were a total of four rows of them.

As soon as the last student had taken his place in the crowd, the Head Master signaled for the first row on the left to come up onto the stage. Then, after a short address from the student body representative he called each student's name and they stepped forward.

It took about two hours to get through all the first years, then, after the two first year teachers were introduced, they descended from the stage, were led out of the auditorium and to their classrooms.

As Aurora followed her fellow students down the hall she heard her new classmates whispering around her.

"Did you see that Arrow-Headed guy?" the boy behind her asked.

"My mom told me that Airbenders used to have tattoos like that…" the girl next to him offered.

"Why would Avatar Aang come to a school entrance ceremony…?" Someone else asked.

"Gee…I wonder…why were our parents here?" The first girl pointed out.

"The Avatar as a dad….? Another girl asked, sounding so though she found that to be a strange and novel concept.

"Well only the first years like us had their families at the entrance ceremony… so I guess that means that somebody in our year is the avatar's kid…" the first boy realized.

Aurora wasn't sure what to say or do, she'd gone from being a little nervous but mostly excited to just plain nervous. _Now they're talking about me...but...they don't know it's me..._ She hadn't expected this. She knew she was the daughter of the avatar but she'd never thought about it as being a big deal before now. To her, Daddy was Daddy...just a regular grownup, but one whose job it was to try and help people get along...why should that matter to anyone? He'd ended a war before she was born, she knew that, but she didn't know much about it.

 _What do I do? What do I say? Do I tell them it's me or do I keep my mouth shut? What would Daddy do? Why didn't Daddy warn me?_

"Who do you think it could be?" Someone new asked.

"It could be anybody…"

"Whoever they are I bet they're a bender… how could a guy who can bend all four elements have a kid who can't bend?"

"This is exciting…"

Before anyone could say anything more, they reached their destination. Their teacher opened the door to reveal a room that was nothing like Aurora had imagined. Rather than rows, the desks were arranged in groups facing each other, and they only took up about a third of the massive room. The rest of it was filled, surprisingly, with toys… there were stuffed animals, puzzles, blocks, miniature instruments, rip-chord toys of various shapes, even a sandbox and a fish tank… Then at the opposite end from the pods of desks, there was a large brown rug with blue, yellow, red, and green dots on it arranged in a pattern, in neat, horizontal rows.

The whole class stood staring at the room in front of them with wide-eyed amazement until their teacher, a nice-looking woman with black hair and green eyes wearing a pink silk dress, clapped her hands to regain their attention.

"Children, this is important so pay attention. I am your teacher Ms. Junta and this, will be your classroom for the next year… The toys here are special, they are not just meant to be fun or keep you busy, they will aid us in learning about the world. But more about that later… I know we met at the ceremony this morning but I know there was a lot going on, so we will begin with introductions, everyone go to the rug and sit on a dot…" she told them.

They nodded and obeyed.

After everyone was sitting on the rug, Ms. Junta joined them, sitting facing them at the head of the crowd.

"We'll go down the rows and when we get to you I want you to stand up, tell us your name, how many people you have in your family, and what part of the city you're from…" She explained.

Aurora was in the middle of the third of five rows… as she watched and listened as each one of her classmates introduced themselves she kept hoping that Ms. Junta would inadvertently skip her. She still didn't know what to do about the fact that everyone knew that a child of the Avatar was in their class, and seemed very interested and intrigued by the fact. She'd decided to wait and ask Daddy what he thought she should do when she got home, but she knew that once her classmates realized she lived on Air Temple Island, it wouldn't take them long to figure out who her parents were.

"Aurora… would you like to introduce yourself to the class." Ms. Junta asked in a very _this isn't really a request_ sort of tone.

Aurora's eyes went wide, for a few seconds she was frozen, unsure of whether to oblige or pretend to be a mute… But, Mommy and Daddy had been pretty insistent on how important it was to tell the truth, so she rose to her feet.

"I…uh…well…"

"Go on Dear, there's no need to be afraid…"

Aurora closed her eyes, took a deep breath, silently begged the universe that she wouldn't regret this later… and began to speak.

"Hi guys, my name is Aurora and I live with my Mommy and Daddy and my little brother and sister; and we live on Air Temple Island…" the little girl explained.

"Thank you Aurora, living on an island outside the city sounds like fun!" Ms. Junta replied kindly.

She peered around at her fellow classmates as she sat back down, watching for any sign that that they'd put two and two together. So far it didn't seem like anyone had. She still wasn't quite sure why it mattered, but it seemed like everyone else thought it was a big deal for some reason, and she really just wanted to be normal and make friends…

Once they'd gotten to everyone, they were freed to play with the toys and with each other.

"Hey Aurora…" one of the other students, a girl named Ying who had black hair and golden eyes, stood in front of her, wearing a smile that appeared friendly enough, but… there was something…off about it… "Do you really live on Air Temple Island?" she asked.

"Yep…" Aurora answered, walking past her to grab a puzzle of a world map.

But Ying followed her.

"So does that mean your parents are Air Acolytes…?"

"Sorta, not really…" Aurora answered. Daddy was their leader but they weren't technically acolytes themselves.

"Wait a sec… if you live on Air Temple Island but you're family's not acolytes then that means…"

"Please don't freak out… I don't know what the big deal is anyways…"

"You're kidding right? Your Dad, can bend all four elements… and that's no big deal?" Ying asked.

"Ok, that's pretty cool, especially since it means that both he, and my mommy can help with waterbending… but Daddy's…just Daddy… he's probly like a lot of people's daddy's…"

"Leave 'er alone Ying, if she says it's not a big deal, then it's not. Quit it." A boy who looked an awful lot like Ying told her.

"Shut up Kian…" Ying snapped at the boy.

"Back off…" Kian told her.

"Fine…have it your way brother…" She snorted, then she walked away toward the fish tank.

"Thanks…" Aurora told Kian.

"You're welcome, pay no attention to my sister, your dad's kind of her hero, which means she probably thinks you're the luckiest kid alive…"

"Not really, I mean Daddy seems to be flying somewhere like every other month because people don't know how to get along and it's his job to stop the fighting… We never know how long he'll be gone for and so far he's never taken me along before he always says there's too much to do or it's too dangerous or I'm not old enough… When he is home things are great but, I still hate it when he leaves…" Aurora explained, it made her a little sad to think about it.

Kian saw the sad look in her eyes and softened. "If it makes you feel any better, the stuff he does really is super important… I don't know what exactly he meant but, according my dad, our family wouldn't be able to exist if it weren't for yours." He told her.

"I know, it just stinks sometimes… I can't wait till I'm big enough to help instead of staying home…"

"Hey, did you know they have a world map puzzle?" Kian asked.

"Oh… I have one of those! I love doing it!" Aurora exclaimed happily.

"So do I, but… I always get the Air Temples mixed up…"

"hehe…Lemme help you…" Aurora offered.

Hours later, when the school day ended that afternoon and she came back through the main doors, she found her mother, carrying both her siblings, she ran up and hugged her, but quickly realized that they were alone.

"Mommy…where's Daddy? Why isn't he here?" she asked.

"Something happened today Sweetheart, we're not sure what, but your father went to check it out… it's nothing for you to concern yourself with my darling, everything will be alright. Now, let's go home…" Katara replied, taking her daughter's hand and leading her back down the street.


End file.
